WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Business: Females

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent progress she has made on her mentoring scheme to help women fulfil their potential in business.

Lynne Featherstone: In November last year the Home Secretary announced that funding would be provided to recruit and train 5,000 mentors as part of a package of support for women in business. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills subsequently announced that a further 10,000 mentors would be recruited to support entrepreneurs who are setting up or growing their business.
	As of the second week in March over 7,500 mentors have joined the programme and, of the 4,000 mentors that have completed their training, 42% are women. We expect all 15,000 mentors to have been recruited and trained by the end of September 2012.

Females: Fiscal Policy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the effects of the Government's deficit reduction plan on women.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 12 March 2012
	Reducing the deficit this Government inherited requires difficult decisions to be made as this is the only way back to a strong economy that creates opportunities for the next generation and supports world class public services. However, the Government are ensuring that economic reforms are implemented fairly, with the most vulnerable protected. For example:
	Raising the personal tax free allowance will lift two million of the lowest-paid workers out of income tax altogether, more than half of whom (59%) are women;
	Allocating an additional £300 million for child care support under universal credit on top of the £2 billion already spent under the current system will help around 80,000 more families with children to work their chosen hours; and
	Extending the entitlement to 15 hours a week of free early education will benefit 260,000 of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds.
	Beyond getting the public finances under control, the Government are also laying the foundations for a stronger, more prosperous Britain with women at the heart of the economy by:
	Removing barriers for women in the workplace through improving transparency, extending the right to request flexible working, introducing flexible parental leave, and ensuring more women progress into the boardroom;
	Providing resources to identify and train 15,000 new mentors to support anyone setting up and growing a business, including 5,000 specifically for female entrepreneurs, and providing £2 million over the next three years to support women entrepreneurs in rural areas; and
	Establishing a Women's Business Council to ensure Government get the best advice on how to maximise women's potential to drive economic growth.
	In addition, because women's safety is a priority for this Government, we are ensuring that economic reforms do not compromise protection for victims. For example, we are:
	Ring-fencing nearly £40 million of stable funding up to 2015 for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services, rape crisis centres, the national domestic violence helplines and the stalking helpline;
	Allocated £1.2 million over three years to improve services for young people affected by sexual violence and exploitation, including from gangs; and
	Continuing to provide legal aid for the victims of domestic violence to apply for protective injunctions and continue to waive the financial eligibility limits in these cases.

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2011, Official Report, column 221W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in her Department in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office is included in the reply of 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 790W, from the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Responsibilities

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 491W, on departmental responsibilities, for what reason he does not disclose the dates of his and his ministerial colleagues' meetings with the Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Owen Paterson: I and the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), meet regularly and often informally with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive. These meetings and discussions take place in a variety of circumstances not all of which are recorded and it would therefore be misleading to provide a list of dates that I know is not comprehensive.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, columns 443-4W, on Police Service of Northern Ireland, for what reason he does not disclose the dates of his and his ministerial colleagues' meetings with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I and the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), meet regularly and often informally with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. These meetings and discussions take place in a variety of circumstances not all of which are recorded and it would therefore be misleading to provide a list of dates that I know is not comprehensive.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 169W, on security and the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 444W, on the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), whether matters relating to SOCA work in Northern Ireland are reserved or a matter for the devolved Administration.

Owen Paterson: The Serious Organised Crime Agency is a reserved body under Schedule 3 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. The work of the body is a mix of devolved and reserved matters.

SCOTLAND

Mass Media

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what media monitoring services his Department has purchased in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has purchased media monitoring services from Press Data (press cuttings) in each of the last five years. In addition, it has purchased transcription services on an ad hoc basis from Newslink Scotland.

WALES

Devolution

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings she has had with members of the Commission on devolution in Wales on the revised timetable for the report.

Cheryl Gillan: I have regular meetings with Paul Silk, chair of the Commission on Devolution in Wales, to discuss the Commission's work programme.

Health and Social Care Bill

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential effects of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill on health bodies in Wales.

Cheryl Gillan: I have regular meetings with Ministers in the Department of Health about a range of health matters relevant to Wales.
	While the NHS in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government, there has been close engagement between the Department for Health, the Wales Office and the Welsh Government to ensure that the changes the UK Government are making in the Health and Social Care Bill that relate to Wales will have a positive impact in Wales.

Public Sector: Pay

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if she will have discussions with her ministerial colleagues on the potential effects of introducing regional pay for public sector workers in Wales.

Cheryl Gillan: I will continue to have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues that affect Wales, including local pay reform.
	At the 2011 autumn statement, the Government asked the independent pay review bodies (PRB) to consider how public sector pay can be made more responsive to local labour markets. At Budget 2012, the Government announced that they have provided evidence to the PRBs setting out the economic case for local pay reform, which is now available on the PRB website:
	www.ome.uk.com
	The PRB is expected to report on local pay reform in July.

Remploy

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what meetings she has had with the Welsh Government to discuss devolving responsibility for Remploy.

Cheryl Gillan: I have discussed a range of issues relating to the future of Remploy factories in Wales with both Welsh Government Ministers and ministerial colleagues at the Department for Work and Pensions as the lead Department, particularly in light of the Sayce review recommendations last July.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: Crime Prevention

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of the arts to reducing (a) racism, (b) homophobia, (c) disability hate crime and (d) anti-social behaviour; and what projects are planned to increase the arts' involvement in the prevention of these crimes.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Arts Council England (ACE) has made no assessment of the contribution of the arts to reducing discrimination and hate crime. However, they do see the arts as haying a considerable contribution to make towards promoting greater tolerance, social cohesion, equality of opportunity and the reduction of discrimination in all walks of society.
	ACE ensure fairness and consistency in their decision making and undertake Equality Analyses (formally, equality impact assessments) both as a legal requirement and as a best practice tool and methodology. They have supported a wide range of organisations that specialise in working in the criminal justice system.

Betting: Dormant Accounts

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with betting companies and their representatives on unclaimed winnings and dormant betting accounts.

John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 21 March 2012, Official Report, column 693W.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his Department's Business Plan 2011-15, what steps his Department took to complete action (a) 5.1.i on examining external barriers to new providers seeking to invest in fibre optic networks and (b) 5.2.ii on delivery of super-fast broadband; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The main barriers to deployment were identified as part of the UK's broadband strategy “Britain's Superfast Broadband Future”, published in December 2010. Work to address these issues—such as ensuring the business rate regime is appropriate, and examining options for deploying new overhead infrastructure—is ongoing. As well as this, the Department has delivered a number of outcomes including the publication of the advice note on micro trenching and street works, published in November 2011. Where barriers exist, we are committed to working with industry to remove them where possible.
	Regarding access to existing infrastructure, BT were required to offer access to their infrastructure as part of Ofcom's most recent 'Wholesale Local Access Review', published in October 2010. Ofcom have worked closely with industry to bring these products to market and have been available for competitors to use since November 2011. The implementation of the EU Communications Regulatory Framework in May 2011 also gave Ofcom the power to impose infrastructure sharing on other telecoms infrastructure where proportionate. This will be entirely Ofcom's decision.

Broadband

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to the Budget 2012, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of expanding high-speed internet infrastructure into rural areas as well as large cities.

Edward Vaizey: The Government recognise that bringing high speed internet to rural areas will help benefit local communities and businesses and that a good communications infrastructure is vital to the growth of the economy. McKinsey report that the digital economy accounts for 23% of all growth and Boston Consulting Group estimate that internet-driven businesses made up 8.3% of the UK's economy, rising to 12.6% by 2016. This is why we are investing £830 million in digital communications infrastructure that will deliver superfast broadband to 90% of the country, with a good level of service for everyone else, ultra-fast broadband in 10 of our largest cities and an extra £50 million to support ultrafast broadband in smaller cities.

Broadband: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent progress he has made on his plans to extend superfast broadband to the North East and Northumberland.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), approved, on 21 March 2012, the local broadband plan for Northumberland project area and the county council is now preparing for procurement using the Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) Broadband Delivery Framework. Also on 21 March 2012, Official Report, columns 793-808, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced that Newcastle city will receive between £4 and £6 million from the Urban Broadband Fund. This money will help Newcastle to become a Super-Connected City, up-grading its fixed broadband infrastructure to ultra-fast and providing wireless broadband connectivity across the city.

Leisure: Industry

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what his Department's definition is of the leisure industry; and whether his Department differentiates between the leisure industry and the tourism industry for purposes of data-gathering;
	(2)  how his Department measures the contribution of the leisure industry to the economy; and what metrics it uses to do so.

John Penrose: This Department has policy responsibility for a number of sectors which are counted within the leisure industry, such as gambling and entertainment. Metrics on these can be found in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) national datasets, for example using the Standard Industrial Code (SIC) ‘92.00 Gambling’.
	The definition of tourism that is in use at this Department comes from the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which is an ONS publication
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/tourism/tourism-satellite-account/2008---the-economic-importance-of-tourism/index.html
	It is grounded in a definition of tourism that relies upon the principle of apportioning a share of activities such as accommodation, restaurants, or transportation that are used by individuals making trips to a main destination outside of their usual environment, for any main purpose other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or place visited. This Department does not hold a comparable definition for the leisure industry and therefore does differentiate between the two industries for the purposes of data collection, although some elements of the leisure industry are included within the TSA.

Manpower

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many people are employed in interim posts by the Department, or a non-ministerial department or arm's length body controlled by his Department, through (a) Penna Consulting, (b) Reed Personnel Services and (c) Capita Resourcing Ltd (trading as Veredus); how many such people have been in post for over a year; and how many are full-time.

John Penrose: This Department does not have any people employed in interim posts through Penna Consulting, Reed Personnel Services or Capita Resourcing Ltd (trading as Veredus). We do not collate this information for our arm's length bodies. Accordingly, I have asked each chief executive to write to my Friend the Member for North East Cambridgeshire directly. Copies of the replies will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Olympic Games 2012

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Olympic Delivery Authority's learning legacy website in sharing knowledge of and lessons learned from the construction of the Olympic Park; and what further steps he is taking to promote this objective across the UK.

Hugh Robertson: The Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) Learning Legacy website is a very valuable resource for capturing the positive learning from the construction of the park. It contains 250 case studies setting out the lessons learned and best practice developed by the ODA, its contractors and industry partners. It has had more than 15,000 visitors since its launch in October 2011.
	In addition, more than 50 targeted events have been arranged with the relevant construction industry bodies, or have already taken place. The website is also promoted through industry journals and publications.

Radio Frequencies

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the cost to an individual of purchasing a femtocell to benefit from his Mobile Infrastructure Project.

Edward Vaizey: The Mobile Infrastructure Project is in the process of defining the areas worst affected by poor and non-existent mobile coverage, and the best means of addressing it in those areas. The role of femtocells in addressing coverage will become clearer through this process. Femtocells are currently commercially available at comparable prices to those for wireless internet routers.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether his Department has procured any goods from Remploy factories in the last three years; and what the value was of any procurements;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

John Penrose: This Department has not procured any goods from Remploy factories in the last three years, or had recent discussions concerning the subject.

Sports

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans he has to increase participation in sport; and what targets he has set.

Hugh Robertson: We have not set a target for increasing participation in sport but through the Whole Sport Plans, and other programmes being delivered as part of the new strategy, we expect to see consistent year on year increases in participation. In particular, we want to raise the number of 14-25 year olds regularly playing sport.

Sports: Schools

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of withdrawing targets for increasing participation in school sport on numbers of young people joining sports clubs set up under the 14 to 24 Sport England programme.

Hugh Robertson: The School Games and the new Youth Sport Strategy will create the opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport. Through the new strategy, every one of the 4,000 secondary schools in England will be offered a community sport club on its site with a direct link to one or more of the sports' governing bodies. This will complement curriculum physical education, and help address the drop off in the numbers of young people doing sport.

PRIME MINISTER

Early Intervention Foundation

Graham Allen: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 21 March 2012, on what date he expects the full tender document to be issued for an early intervention foundation; and on what dates he expects a final decision on the winner of the tender process to be announced.

David Cameron: The full tender document for an Early Intervention Foundation was issued by the Department for Education on Thursday 22 March and the deadline for bids is midday Thursday 31 May.
	Once bids have been received there are a number of procurement requirements that have to be met before an announcement can be made. It is expected that an announcement will be made by 31 July.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Dogs: Electronic Training Aids

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what rationale her Department used when permitting the participation of the Electronic Collar Manufacturers' Association in its commissioned research on the use of electronic shock devices on dogs; and what steps her Department has taken to ensure that any involvement of the Association in this research is independent and impartial.

James Paice: DEFRA officials had sight of the memorandum of understanding between Electronic Collar Manufacturers' Association and the research group and did not consider it posed a risk to the independence of the research.
	We are peer reviewing the outputs of this DEFRA-funded research using independent academic experts. As with all DEFRA-funded projects, we have encouraged publication of the results in scientific journals, which will involve further peer review for each element of the project that is published.

Food

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Food Standards Agency paid for the work commissioned from Imperial college London as part of its project on anecdotal reports of food tolerance associated with low calorie sweeteners; what scientific tests are being undertaken by Imperial college; what hypothesis is being tested by the college; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the protocol for that work.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Health.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a contract with Hull university for this project and they subcontracted part of the work to Imperial college London. The initial subcontract was for £137,000, however, the additional recruitment referred to in my answer of 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 685W, will increase the costs of the subcontract. The FSA will be updating interested parties on this work shortly.
	Imperial college are undertaking metabolomic profiling (the global analysis of small molecules generated by the process of metabolism) of blood and urine, using a range of complex analytical and computational techniques. This is part of the overall project to increase our knowledge of what is happening for those individuals who consider they react badly after consuming food or drink containing aspartame.
	The protocol for the Hull university project entitled the “Determination of the symptoms of aspartame in subjects who have reported symptoms in the past compared to controls: a pilot double blind placebo crossover study” has been placed in the Library. The FSA does not hold a separate protocol for the subcontracted work.

Food: Exports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the Budget 2012, what assessment she has made of the role of food and drink exports in the Government's export target for the next decade.

James Paice: Food and drink exports can play a key role in reaching the Government's export target for the next decade which will boost our economy and generate jobs. UK food exports grew for the sixth year in a row in 2010 to £15.8 billion. To take advantage of new opportunities in overseas markets DEFRA works closely with UK Trade and Investment, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The action plan, ‘Driving Export Growth in the Farming, Food and Drink Sector’, published in January, sets out how Government and industry will work together to open up and take advantage of key markets. It focuses on opening international markets for the food and farming sector, ensuring the right information and support is available to help companies succeed overseas, simplifying the process for food specific export paperwork, and strategically promoting the best of British food and drink overseas. In addition, UK Export Finance has new products which are available to exporters in the food and drink industry who are unable to obtain credit insurance or trade finance from the private market.

Manpower

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of the Environment Agency are assigned to regulating the EU emissions trading system (a) full-time, (b) full-time equivalent and (c) part-time.

Richard Benyon: The number of Environment Agency employees assigned to regulating the EU emissions trading system (ETS) as of March 2012 is 39.4 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff, composed of 37 full-time and four part-time staff.
	This includes staff that provide registry services to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Northern Ireland Environment Agency, since the Environment Agency administers the EU ETS registry for the whole of the UK.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of her Department's review of the implementation of the EU Habitats and Wild Birds Directives in England.

Richard Benyon: The report of the DEFRA-led Habitats and Wild Birds Implementation Review was published on 22 March by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman).
	The report contains a strong, practical set of measures that DEFRA will be implementing over the coming months in partnership with other Government Departments, regulators, developers and environmental groups. These will help ensure that the directives are easier to implement on the ground without compromising their fundamental objectives.
	The report is available on the DEFRA website and I am arranging for copies of the report to be placed in the Libraries of the Houses.

Rural Areas: Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 551W, on rural areas: broadband, what proportion of the £530 million budget is available to technologies which do not deliver superfast speeds.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	The Government aim to stimulate private investment to deliver superfast broadband to 90% of premises and universal standard of 2 Mbps for virtually all premises. There is no funding allocation for a specific technology. The technology solutions to deliver the Government's objectives will be determined by supplier responses to local authority procurements.

Schmallenberg Virus

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the costs and benefits of making the Schmallenberg virus notifiable.

James Paice: Our knowledge of this new virus and the UK disease situation is still evolving. We are satisfied that enough cases are being reported to enable us to build an accurate picture of how widespread the disease is in the UK.
	Estimates of the cost to Government of making the Schmallenberg virus notifiable, depending on the measures put in place, are between £5 million and £20 million. Current weekly Government resource used is around £25,000. Compulsory notification would impose additional costs and burdens on sheep and cattle farmers at this busy time of year, with few disease control benefits to livestock farmers and the taxpayer.
	DEFRA continues to work with industry representatives to promote voluntary reporting. Current indications are that Schmallenberg disease is not having a significant impact on lambing and calving and additional regulatory burdens are not warranted.

Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on taxis for (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants between August 2011 and January 2012.

Richard Benyon: Taxi journeys are only used when no other option is available, and when it is appropriate to do so. Between August 2011 and January 2012, the costs for taxis were £1,132.99 for Ministers. In the same period Core DEFRA spent £28,858.73 on taxis for civil servants in the Department.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 737W, on departmental work experience, how many people (a) worked as an intern, (b) undertook a work experience placement and (c) worked as a volunteer in the Law Officers’ Departments in accordance with the hiring criteria set out in that answer in the last 12 months for which data are available; and how many such people were employed other than according to those criteria.

Dominic Grieve: As part of the Whitehall Internship Scheme which aims to provide internships in every Whitehall department for under-represented groups, the Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol), Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) each offered a single placement to a year 12 student who was allocated a two-week placement in the respective organisation. As part of these placements, each of the three students were also allocated a one-day placement at the Attorney-General’s Office.
	TSol also recruits legal trainees via the Government Legal Service legal trainee scheme and at any given time has about 18 people on the scheme. In advance of commencing their training contracts, TSol offers work experience to the trainees so that they have some familiarity with the organisation and the wider GLS.
	The Treasury Solicitor’s Department (TSol), Attorney-General’s Office (AGO) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have not operated any other work experience or vacation placement schemes in the last 12 months.
	During the 12 months to March 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service provided 356 work experience placements.
	Since May 2011, the SFO have placed two interns from the university of Bath as part of their BSc Business Administration and MSc Advanced Management Practice programmes, and provided five work experience posts.
	Apart from the employment of permanent staff, and the hiring of temporary agency staff and contractors, TSol, AGO and HMCPSI have not employed people other than according to those in the criteria outlined in the earlier answer of 4 May 2011, Official Report, column 737W.
	None of the Law Officers’ Departments have engaged anyone in a voluntary capacity during the last 12 months.

EDUCATION

Academies: Pensions

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to issue guidance to local authority pensions managers on academies pooling with their former local authority.

Nick Gibb: The first edition of informal guidance about academies and the local government pension scheme (LGPS) was issued to LGPS pension managers by the Department of Communities and Local Government on 29 February 2012. The guidance was developed in consultation with the Department for Education. A second edition will be issued shortly, dealing with the implications of an academy's LGPS arrangements being pooled with their local authority.

Catering

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on complimentary refreshments for (a) staff and (b) visitors in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
	Hospitality for official meetings is provided where appropriate. Hospitality is not provided for internal DfE meetings unless it is proven to be cost-effective, or in the interests of good business to do so.

Children’s Centres: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding he has allocated to Sure Start children's centres in (a) Leeds North West constituency and (b) Leeds for 2012-13; and whether such funding will be ring-fenced.

Sarah Teather: In April 2011 the Department for Education introduced the Early Intervention Grant (EIG). The grant is un-ringfenced in order to give local authorities greater freedom and flexibility in how they spend their funding, enabling them to make judgments based on local needs and what works best. Subject to that local decision making, the EIG can support a full range of services for children, young people and families including Sure Start children's centres.
	Leeds City Council has been allocated £32,723,512 through the Early Intervention Grant for 2012-13. It is up to the authority to decide how best to spend this funding. It is important to note that this amount may change during the year in respect of funding for pilot activities.

Citizenship: Education

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve citizenship education in schools.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted reported in 2010 that citizenship education is improving. Our reforms are designed to build on this by giving greater autonomy to schools. The National Curriculum Review is aiming to establish a core of essential knowledge in key subjects that all children need to learn. This will leave teachers free to use their professional judgement and expertise to design curricula that best meet their pupils' needs. We are also committed to empowering young people to become active citizens. The National Citizen Service will support 30,000 young people to develop the skills and attitudes they need to become responsible citizens.
	Our recent publication, “Positive for Youth”, will help to ensure that local areas give young people genuine and wide ranging influence. We are establishing an advisory group of young people to advise on national policy across Government. Finally, we have awarded grant funding of £850,000 to the British Youth Council to support youth participation in England, both nationally and locally, including support for the UK Youth Parliament.

Day Care: North East

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many families will receive the extension of 15 hours of childcare to the poorest families in (a) the North East and (b) Hexham constituency.

Sarah Teather: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the autumn statement that the early education entitlement for two-year-olds will be expanded to cover more children. The Government intend to take a phased approach to the implementation of the new entitlement. Around 130,000 two-year-olds will be eligible from September 2013. From 2014, the entitlement will be extended to around 260,000 two-year-olds.
	We have recently consulted on a proposal that two-year-olds who meet the criteria for free school meals, and looked after children, will be eligible in the first phase of the entitlement. This would mean that around 7,900 two-year-olds in the North East, including 600 in Northumberland, would be eligible for the entitlement in 2013. Our analysis goes down to local authority level, and not to areas within local authorities such as Hexham. These figures are derived from a sample and are indicative only.
	We will publish further proposals in due course about eligibility criteria to reach 40% of two-year-olds from 2014. We will carry out further analysis on what this means for the numbers of eligible children in local areas.

Departmental Drinks

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his private Ministerial office spent on (a) tea and coffee, (b) wine, (c) alcoholic refreshments other than wine and (d) bottled water in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 29 February 2012
	We do not hold separate information for each ministerial office. During the 12 months from February 2011 to the end of January 2012, the total expenditure for all five ministerial offices was as follows:
	(a) £14,003 on tea, coffee and other refreshments for meetings, and
	(b) £508 on wine.
	There was no expenditure on other alcoholic refreshments or on bottled water.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

English Baccalaureate

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils were (a) entered for and (b) passed the English Baccalaureate in 2010-11 in each parliamentary constituency.

Nick Gibb: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

English Language: National Curriculum Tests

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the weight given to the internally-assessed writing element of Key Stage 2 English in setting the level of achievement.

Nick Gibb: Following Lord Bew's independent review of key stage 2 testing and assessment, interim arrangements will apply to the assessment of writing in 2012. A pupil's writing result will be a teacher assessment judgment of their work across year 6. This will be informed by, but not be limited to, their results in a national test. Schools have been able to choose whether to administer the test at a time of their choosing and mark it internally, or to administer it on 9 May and have it externally marked.
	A pupil's teacher assessment result will be reported to parents, along with their results in the externally marked tests for reading and mathematics.

English Language: National Curriculum Tests

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools have opted for an external assessment for the writing element of the Key Stage 2 English assessment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: Following Lord Bew's independent review of key stage 2 testing and assessment, interim arrangements will apply to the assessment of writing in 2012. A pupil's writing result will be a teacher assessment judgment of their work across year 6, which will be informed by and take account of their results in a national test. Schools have been able to choose whether to administer the test at a time of their choosing and mark it internally, or to administer it on 9 May and have it externally marked.
	A total of 2,762 schools have opted to have their KS2 English writing test externally marked this year. This figure does not include the 1,500 schools that were selected to participate in the key stage 2 writing sample test which will be used to monitor national standards.
	In line with Lord Bew's recommendations, the teacher assessment of writing will be subject to external moderation in 15 to 25% of schools.

English Language: National Curriculum Tests

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment criteria will be issued to primary schools for Key Stage 2 English writing assessments.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Lord Bew's independent review of key stage 2 testing, assessment and accountability recommended significant changes to the assessment of writing, which the Government accepted.
	Those recommendations will be implemented in full in 2013, but in 2012 interim arrangements will apply to the assessment of writing. A pupil's English writing result will be a teacher assessment judgment of their work across year 6 against the National Curriculum level scale. Teachers' judgments will be informed by and take account of pupils' results in a national test. Schools have been able to choose whether to administer the test at a time of their choosing and mark it internally, using a mark scheme that has been provided, or to administer it on 9 May and have it externally marked.
	In line with Lord Bew's recommendations, the teacher assessment of writing will be subject to external moderation in 15 to 25% of schools.

Free Schools

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free schools due to open in September 2012 have secured sites.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 13 March 2012
	Around half of the free schools due to open in September 2012 have confirmed sites, and negotiations on a preferred site are under way for the large majority of the other projects. At the same stage last year, under half of free schools had confirmed sites.

Free Schools: School Meals

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) academies and (b) free schools are adhering to his Department's regulations on school food standards.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 26 March 2012
	The Department does not hold this information.
	Free schools and new academies which have been set up from September 2010 are not required to comply with the school food standards. Academies that signed their funding agreements before July 2010 are still required by those agreements to meet the nutritional standards, but they can move to the new funding agreement if they wish to do so.
	Schools that have converted to become academies will already have been complying with the school food standards. There is no reason to believe that they would stop doing so on conversion. In order to assess any changes in school food provision in schools which have converted to academy status, the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has asked the School Food Trust to undertake a qualitative study to look at the approach taken by academies and free schools to providing healthy school food. The results are expected to be published in late spring 2012.

GCSEs: GCE A-Levels

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many children were awarded A*-C grades in GCSE (a) mathematics and (b) English in (i) Kent and (ii) Dartford constituency in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many children were awarded A-C grades in A-level in (a) mathematics and (b) English in (i) Kent and (ii) Dartford constituency in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be found in the following tables. A* grades at A level have been included for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 academic years.
	
		
			 Numbers and percentages of pupils (1, 2, 3)  achieving A*-C grades in mathematics and English GCSEs (4, 5)  in Dartford constituency (6) , Kent local authority (7)  and England (8) —Years: 2007-11 Coverage: England 
			 Numbers and percentages of KS4 pupils achieving A*-C grades in : 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Mathematics :      
			 Dartford (Number) 864 846 852 931 960 
			 Dartford (Percentage) 62.1 61.4 64.4 67.9 72.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Kent (Number) 9,473 9,895 9,989 10,671 10,731 
			 Kent (Percentage) 56.0 58.1 59.8 63.5 66.4 
			       
			 England (Number) 323,044 335,453 339,196 360,532 368,911 
			 England (Percentage) 54.0 56.3 58.8 62.6 65.3 
			       
			 English:      
			 Dartford (Number) 914 902 870 975 990 
			 Dartford (Percentage) 65.7 65.5 65.8 71.1 74.8 
			       
			 Kent (Number) 10,052 10,167 10,194 11,223 11,077 
			 Kent (Percentage) 59,4 59.7 61.0 66.8 68.5 
			       
			 England (Number) 349,086 357,983 358,136 382,870 392,117 
			 England (Percentage) 58.3 60.1 62.1 66.5 69.4 
			 (1) Percentages are based on all pupils at end of key stage 4 in each area. (2) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (3) Figures include all maintained schools (including CTCs and academies). (4) Full GCSEs have been included (Full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs) and AS levels. Figures from 2006/07-2008/09 exclude iGCSEs, 2009/10 and 2010/11 figures include accredited iGCSEs. (5) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (6) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (7) Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school or in the case of CTCs and Academies the local authority in which the school is situated. (8) England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. Source: National Pupil Database (2006/07 to 2009/10 final data, 2010/11 revised data) 
		
	
	
		
			 Numbers and percentages of students aged 16-18 (1, 2, 3 ) achieving A*-C (4)  grades in mathematics (5)  and English (6)  A levels (7)  in Dartford constituency (8) , Kent local authority (9)  and England (10) —Years: 2007-11 Coverage: England 
			 Numbers and percentages of students achieving A*-C grades in : 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Mathematics:      
			 Dartford (Number) 62 74 69 93 65 
			 Dartford (Percentage) 5.6 6.5 5.1 6.1 4.1 
			       
			 Kent (Number) 863 992 1,038 1,087 1,083 
			 Kent (Percentage) 10.4 11.8 11.1 10.8 10.9 
			       
			 England (Number) 30,707 33,547 37,605 40,764 42,989 
			 England (Percentage) 10.9 11.4 11.9 11.9 12.8 
			       
			 English:      
			 Dartford (Numbers) 137 141 118 118 127 
			 Dartford (Percentage) 12,5 12.4 8.7 7.7 8.0 
			       
			 Kent (Number) 1,552 1,616 1,645 1,578 1,631 
			 Kent (Percentage) 18.7 19.2 17.6 15.6 16.4 
			       
			 England (Number) 48,315 50,805 53,509 52,686 52,520 
			 England (Percentage) 17.1 17.2 17 15.4 15.6 
			 (1) Percentages are based on all 16-18 year old students in each area. (2) Age at the start of the academic year, for example 31 August 2010 for the 2010/11 academic year. (3) Figures include all maintained schools (including academies and CTCs) and further education (FE) sector colleges. (4) A* grades have been included from 2009/10 onwards. (5) Includes pupils achieving an A'-C grade at A level in at least one of mathematics, pure mathematics, statistics, additional mathematics or further mathematics. (6) Includes pupils achieving an A*-C grade at A level in at least one of English, English language or English literature. (7) Includes cumulative results obtained in the previous academic year. (8) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school or college. (9) Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school or college or in the case of CTCs and Academies the local authority in which the school is situated. (10) England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. Source: National Pupil Database (2006/07 to 2009/10) final data, 2010/11 revised data)

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

Tim Loughton: The overall policy lead for Intellectual Property is held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills via the Intellectual Property Office. Many Government Departments have an interest in intellectual property, and the policy making process, including collective ministerial consideration of proposals, reflects those interests.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have applied for matched funding to purchase phonics material; and which providers they have indicated they will be purchasing from.

Nick Gibb: Schools can apply for match-funding by purchasing phonics resources from a catalogue ‘The Importance of Phonics’. The catalogue includes resources from a range of providers that meet the Department's criteria for a systematic synthetic phonics programme. By 16 March 2012 around 6,710 schools had purchased phonics materials from all of the publishers included in the catalogue.

Literacy: Teaching Methods

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have applied for matched funding to purchase phonics material; and from which providers such materials will be purchased.

Nick Gibb: Schools can apply for match-funding by purchasing phonics resources from a catalogue ‘The Importance of Phonies’. The catalogue includes resources from a range of providers that meet the Department's criteria for a systematic synthetic phonics programme. By 16 March 2012 around 6,710 schools had purchased phonics materials from all of the publishers included in the catalogue.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools and pupils have received the pupil premium in (a) the north-east and (b) Hexham constituency.

Sarah Teather: The following table shows the number of schools and pupils benefiting from the pupil premium in 2011-12 in the north-east and Hexham constituency.
	
		
			  North-east region Hexham constituency 
			 Number of schools 1,068 51 
			 Number of pupils 75,190 679 
		
	
	These figures do not include looked after children and service children in these areas as the final figures are not currently available.

Remploy

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with Remploy on the procurement of goods.

Tim Loughton: The Department has not had any recent discussions with Remploy.

Schools: Admissions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) applications have been received and (b) places were available for the 2012-13 academic year in (i) free schools and (ii) all state schools.

Nick Gibb: There were a total of 585,825 places in England for admission in 2012-13. We do not collect separate information for free schools. These statistics can be viewed at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA/t001061/index.shtml
	I have placed a copy of my written ministerial statement of 22 March 2012, Official  Report, columns 69-70WS, relating to the statistical release, in the House Libraries.

Schools: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the (a) demand for and (b) supply of school places in Birmingham in the next five years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 March 2012
	It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory school age who wants one.
	The Department does collect information from each local authority on school capacity in maintained schools through an annual survey, which includes local authorities’ own pupil forecasts (five years for primary places and seven years for secondary places). The most recent survey data relates to the position at May 2011 and is available on the Department for Education’s website.
	In this financial year (2011-12), we have made available £1.3 billion to fund school places in England. Birmingham’s share in 2011-12 is £17.8 million. We will continue to provide capital funding and monitor the situation with all local authorities to increase the supply of school places.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to free schools on the installation of fire sprinkler systems in new school premises.

Nick Gibb: We have no plans to issue guidance specifically for free schools. Free schools, like all schools, need to comply with current premises and building regulations, including the need to meet fire protection standards. A consultation on proposed changes to school premises regulations that will apply to all schools ended in January 2012. Once the results of that consultation have been thoroughly assessed, revised guidance for all schools (including free schools) will be published.

Schools: Inspections

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to publish the Education (Exemption from School Inspection) (England) Regulations under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, as amended by section 40 of the Education Act 2011.

Nick Gibb: We will be publishing the Education (Exemption from School Inspection) (England) Regulations under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, as amended by section 40 of the Education Act 2011, in the summer term 2012.

Schools: Inspections

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what additional costs he estimates will arise for (a) Ofsted, (b) his Department and (c) local authorities as a consequence of changes proposed in the Ofsted consultation, A good education for all; and how such cost will be funded.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted's consultation, ‘A good education for all’, has not yet closed, and accordingly decisions have not yet been taken on the final form of changes to school and college inspection proposed for introduction from September 2012.

Schools: Sanitation

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the standard of school toilet facilities; and whether an assessment has been made of any relationship to the incidence of continence problems in young people.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 March 2012
	A number of organisations have carried out studies in these areas and sent details of these among the responses to the consultation on the proposed new school premises regulations. All responses are currently being analysed by officials and relevant evidence will be taken into account when finalising the requirements for school toilet and washing facilities.

Teachers: Trade Unions

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether local authorities can re-charge schools for the employment costs of teachers engaged in trade union activities.

Nick Gibb: It is a matter for local authorities in consultation with their Schools Forums to decide what funding, if any, should be made available to support the cover needed for teachers engaged in trade union activities.

Teachers: Training

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of people recruited to initial teacher training courses for secondary schools in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 trained as teachers in (i) art, (ii) citizenship, (iii) English, (iv) drama, (v) geography, (vi) leisure and tourism, (vii) history, (viii) mathematics, (ix) modern foreign languages, (x) classical languages, (xi) religious education, (xii) science, (xiii) vocational subjects/diploma subjects, (xiv) sociology/social studies, (xv) psychology, (xvi) media studies, (xvii) business studies, (xviii) dance, (xix) performing arts, (xx) textiles and (xxi) food technology.

Nick Gibb: The percentages of people recruited to secondary initial teacher training in (a) 2010/11 and (b) 2011/12 in the subjects listed are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Initial teacher training: Proportions of all secondary recruits training to teach specified subjects—Academic years 2010/11 and 2011/12 Coverage: England 
			 Percentage 
			 Subject 2010/11 2011/12 
			 Art 3.0 2.2 
			 Citizenship 1.4 1.1 
			 English 11.4 13.1 
			 Drama 1.8 1.9 
			 Geography 3.7 4.1 
			 Leisure and Tourism 0.2 0.1 
			 History 3.3 4.1 
			 Mathematics 14.4 17.0 
			 Modern Foreign Languages 7.9 8.8 
			 Classical Languages 0.2 0.2 
			 Religious Education 4.4 2.9 
			 Science 17.8 20.0 
			 Vocational/Diploma Subjects 2.1 1.4 
			 Sociology/Social Studies 0.6 0.5 
			 Psychology 0.6 0.4 
			 Media Studies 0.3 0.1 
			 Business Studies 2.9 2.0 
			 Dance 0.6 0.6 
			 Performing Arts 0.0 0.0 
			 Textiles 0.2 0.1 
			 Food Technology 1.0 0.6 
			 Other subjects 22.0 18.6 
			 Total 100.0 100.0 
			 Notes: 1. Includes all postgraduate, undergraduate, college-based and employment-based routes of initial teacher training (ITT). 2. Includes trainees on both secondary and combined key stage 2 and 3 ITT courses. 3. Recruitment figures for 2011/12 are based on data at 1 January 2012 and are provisional. 4. The proportions shown are of all secondary ITT recruits for the period in question. 5. Science includes Biology, Chemistry, Physics and General Sciences. 6. Vocational/Diploma Subjects include Applied Information and Communications Technology, Applied Art and Design, Applied Business, Applied Science, Engineering, Creative and Media, Health and Social Care and Society Health and Personal Development. 7. Other subjects comprise Design and Technology, Graphics, Information and Communications Technology, Music, Economics, General Studies and Physical Education.

Teachers: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the transfer of responsibility for the pay and conditions of teachers to the Welsh Government.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has not had any discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the transfer of responsibility for the pay and conditions of Welsh teachers to the Welsh Government.

Truancy: Leeds

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many days of truancy were recorded in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the City of Leeds in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The closest measure we have to truancy is unauthorised absence. However, this includes family holidays not agreed, late arrival, "other unauthorised circumstances", and "no reason given", not all of which is truancy.
	Information on unauthorised absence in 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Maintained primary and state-funded secondary schools (1, 2) : Pupil absence by type of school. Academic years 2007/08 to 2009/10 (2.5 terms). England and Leeds local authority 
			  Unauthorised absence 
			  Maintained primary schools (1) State-funded secondary schools (1, 2) 
			  Number of days missed (3, 4) Percentage of half days missed (5) Number of days missed (3, 4) Percentage of half days missed (5) 
			 2007/08     
			 England 2,847,740 0.57 6,553,900 1.49 
			 Leeds local authority 40,360 0.57 153,420 2.48 
			      
			 2008/09     
			 England 3,178,660 0.64 6,501,070 1.49 
			 Leeds local authority 52,430 0.74 156,500 2.61 
			      
			 2009/10     
			 England 3,332,700 0.67 6,297,870 1.45 
			 Leeds local authority 58,660 0.82 160,920 2.67 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence divided by two. (4) Number of days missed has been rounded to the nearest 10. (5) The number of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. Source: School Census 
		
	
	The latest data on absence for the whole year (2.5 terms) is published as Statistical First Release 03/2011 'Pupil Absence in Schools in England, Including Pupil Characteristics: 2009/10' at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000994/index.shtml
	Information for the 2010/11 academic year will be published on 28 March 2012 in Statistical First Release 04/2012 'Pupil Absence in Schools in England, Including Pupil Characteristics: 2010/11' at
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001060/index.shtml
	Unauthorised absence rates (percentages of half days missed) will be available in Table 7.1.

Young People: Alcoholic Drinks

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to reduce alcohol consumption by 11 to 15-year-olds who drink regularly.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Although most school-age children have never had an alcoholic drink, and the numbers who have done so are declining, the levels of binge drinking among 15 to 16-year-olds in the UK still compare poorly with other European countries.
	The Government’s Alcohol Strategy was published on 23 March 2011. It announced a number of further measures to tackle the issue of excessive alcohol consumption which will encourage children to delay the age at which they have their first alcoholic drink and minimise the amount of alcohol they consume if they do start drinking.
	The strategy outlines the action to be taken to improve alcohol education for children and young people, raise their awareness of the harms, and ensure that parents are aware of their own responsibilities and the chief medical officer for England’s guidance on alcohol consumption and young people. We will also work with regulators and industry to ensure the controls on alcohol advertising, marketing and retail continue to provide appropriate levels of protection for children and young people. As increases in the price of alcohol are linked to decreases in alcohol consumption, particularly among those who regularly drink heavily and young drinkers under 18, we will consult on the level to be set for a minimum unit price for alcohol and a proposed ban on multi-buy discounts in supermarkets and off-licences. We are also doubling the maximum fine for persistently selling alcohol to a person under 18 to £20,000 and making it easier to close down premises found to be persistently selling alcohol to young people.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Action for Employment

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any new contracts have been let by his Department to A4e between 28 February and 27 March 2012.

Chris Grayling: There have been no new contracts awarded to A4E between 28 February and 27 March 2012.

Apprentices: Pay

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average wage paid to apprentices undertaking one year workplace-based apprenticeships is.

John Hayes: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	We do not have pay broken down by apprenticeship duration. The length of an apprenticeship varies depending on prior skills levels of the apprentice, the qualification being obtained and industry sector. Generally, apprenticeships take between one and four years to complete.
	However, research commissioned by BIS, taken from a survey of Apprentice Pay(1) undertaken between June and July 2011, of apprentices who therefore typically began their apprenticeships in 2008, 2009, and 2010, shows that the average (median) gross hourly rate for paid apprentices in England was £5.83.
	(1 )BIS Survey of Apprentice Pay 2011, published 15 March 2012.

Departmental Consultants

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 113W, on consultants, what (a) reports on implementation of universal credit and (b) other reports have been received by his Department from (i) management consultancy and (ii) audit firms since 1 January 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department has not commissioned any report on the implementation of universal credit from management consultancy and audit firms since January 2010.
	I have placed a list of all consultancy and audits projects commissioned (a) in 2010 before May, and (b) from May 2010 onwards in the Library.

Disability

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to work with disabled people and disability organisations to ensure that the Disability Strategy is co-produced and not only consulted on.

Maria Miller: Before publishing our discussion document “Fulfilling Potential” on 1 December 2011 we regularly met with a variety of disabled people and their organisations to co-produce the discussion exercise.
	“Fulfilling Potential” has generated over 500 written responses and the Office of Disability Issues has funded around 100 events run by disabled people's organisations. We estimate over 5,000 disabled people have had the opportunity to put forward practical ideas for making a real difference to their lives.
	We are continuing to work together with disabled people and disability organisations, for example, in bespoke groups, through the Independent Living Scrutiny Group, the Disability Charities Consortium and Equality 2025, and they will be helping to analyse and take forward the responses received.

Disability Living Allowance

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many decisions have been made by his Department to end disability living allowance in respect of children in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2012 to date; and in what proportion of such cases an appeal was made in respect of the decision in each such year.

Maria Miller: The Department does collate information relating to decision outcomes on disability living allowance claims but currently cannot provide this information in respect of children. Published information on disability living allowance decision outcomes and appeals can be found on the following link. I will place a copy of this information in the Library.
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/analysis_of_disability_living_allowance_DLA_awards.pdf
	The Department has recently implemented improved processes for dealing with child claims and should be in a position to provide information on decision outcomes and appeals for children in the next two years.

Disability Living Allowance

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many decisions have been made by his Department to end disability living allowance in respect of those aged 16 to 18 in (a) each of the last five years and (b) 2012 to date; and in what proportion of such cases an appeal was made in respect of that decision in each such year.

Maria Miller: The Department does collate information relating to decision outcomes on disability living allowance claims but cannot provide this information in respect of 16 to 18-year-olds. Published information on disability living allowance decision outcomes and appeals can be found on the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/analysis_of_disability_living_allowance_DLA_awards.pdf
	I will place a copy of this information in the Library.

Fuel Poverty

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress he has made on reducing fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	DECC is committed to helping people, especially low-income vulnerable households, heat their homes more affordably.
	Since 2000, the Warm Front scheme has assisted 2.3 million households, providing energy efficient heating and insulation measures to households vulnerable to fuel poverty. We expect the scheme to assist a further 90,000 households between April 2011 and March 2013. In addition, the Government have introduced the Warm Home Discount scheme which requires the six largest energy companies to provide discounts on energy bills. The scheme is worth up to £1.1 billion and will run from April 2011 to March 2015, helping around two million low income and vulnerable households per year.
	The Government also provides winter fuel payments to pensioner households and cold weather payments to eligible households during periods of cold weather. This winter, Government have made 5,166,900 cold weather payments totalling £129,172,500.

Housing Benefit

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the numbers of people in work who are claiming (a) housing benefit and council tax benefit, (b) housing benefit alone and (c) council tax benefit alone.

Steve Webb: The economic status of all housing benefit/council tax benefit (HB/CTB) recipients is not available. Information is only available for those HB/CTB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive either income support, jobseekers allowance (income-based), employment and support allowance (income-based), or pension credit (guaranteed credit).
	A small proportion of the passported cases will be in part-time employment.
	The available information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Housing benefit and council tax benefit recipients, non-passported, in employment, Great Britain—December 2011 
			  Total Non-passported (standard claims) in employment 
			 Housing benefit only 576,220 234,520 
			 Council tax benefit only 1,501,370 114,900 
			 Housing benefit and council tax benefit 4,376,030 630,690 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. This data incorporates the local authority changes from 1 April 2009. 4. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and December 2011 is the most recent available. 5. Passported status does not include recipients with unknown passported status. 6. These data refer to people receiving housing benefit and/or council tax benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit and are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified and are therefore not included in this analysis. 7. For those claiming both housing benefit and council tax benefit, the claimant's passported and economic status have been taken from the housing benefit data. 8. Data is rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

Chris Grayling: The overall policy lead for intellectual property is held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills via the Intellectual Property Office. The Department for Work and Pensions becomes involved insofar as intellectual property issues require collective ministerial consideration.

New Enterprise Allowance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of take-up has been of the (a) New Enterprise Allowance and (b) New Enterprise Allowance Loan in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency since its introduction.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer to PQ 101191 which I gave on the 21 March 2012, Official Report , column 711W.

Occupational Pensions

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) administrative burden of introducing auto-enrolment for the agency worker sector.

Steve Webb: This information is not available by sector.
	Our approach to assessing the cost and burden of automatic enrolment on business was to look at the impact on business as a whole, including the agency worker sector.
	The total contribution costs for all employers are estimated to be £3.3 billion each year in 2011-12 earnings terms once contributions are fully phased in.
	The estimated total administrative cost to all employers is £446 million in year one and £126 million in ongoing years in 2011-12 earning terms.

Occupational Pensions

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the financial effect of the implementation of auto-enrolment on the agency worker sector.

Steve Webb: The Department is committed to a full evaluation of the impact of the workplace pension reforms on different sectors of the economy. A copy of the workplace pension reform evaluation strategy can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2011-2012/rrep764.pdf
	I am placing a copy of this document in the Library.

Pay

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had on the introduction of regional pay in his Department.

Chris Grayling: DWP entered the pay freeze in 2010 and will exit it this year. We are actively engaged with Cabinet Office and other Government Departments regarding principles for reform and an agreed view of the market rates and metrics for different roles in different locations. We will then develop our strategy for local market facing pay, as set out in the pay guidance issued by the Treasury.

Personal Income

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) median and (b) mean income was of households with (i) no children, (ii) one child, (iii) two children, (iv) three children, (v) four children, (vi) five children and (vii) more than five children on the latest date for which information is available.

Maria Miller: The Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. The HBAI data are sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) and can be used to estimate mean and median income of households of differing compositions. For 2009-10, the most recent year for which statistics are available, median and mean weekly equivalised (Table 1) and unequivalised (Table 2) incomes are shown for households with different numbers of children.
	
		
			 Table 1: Median and mean weekly equivalised household incomes Before Housing Costs by number of children in the household, United Kingdom, 2009-10 
			 £ 
			  Median Mean 
			 No children 415 512 
			 One child 408 509 
			 Two children 384 482 
			 Three children 331 474 
			 Four children 291 440 
			 Five children or more 246 260 
			 Source: Family Resources Survey 2009-10, DWP 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Median and mean weekly unequivalised household incomes Before Housing Costs by number of children in the household, United Kingdom, 2009-10 
			 £ 
			  Median Mean 
			 No children 362 482 
			 One child 502 641 
			 Two children 544 698 
			 Three children 540 797 
			 Four children 551 830 
			 Five children or more 531 565 
			 Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the 2009-10 Family Resources Survey (FRS), available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai_arc This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. The income measure used in Table 2 is unequivalised, i.e. it has not been adjusted for household size and composition. This is because the groups requested are based on household size and composition, and in this specific instance, equivalisation would cloud the comparison between household types. This means that the statistics presented are on a different basis to those in the HBAI publication. 3. Net disposable incomes have been used to answer the question. This includes earnings from employment and self-employment, state support, income from occupational and private pensions, investment income and other sources. Income tax, payments, national insurance contributions, council tax/domestic rates and some other payments are deducted from incomes. 4. Figures have been presented on a Before Housing Cost basis. For Before Housing Costs, housing costs are not deducted from income, while for After Housing Costs they are. 5. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to a degree of uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. Information on households with six or more children have been combined with households with five children due to small sample sizes. 6. The reference period for HBAI figures is the financial year. 7. Incomes are presented in 2009-10 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound. 8. A household will consist of one or more families and therefore the households being considered may be a combination of families with and without dependent children. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one of more families. Source: Family Resources Survey 2009-10, DWP

Personal Independence Payment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure that the application form for personal independence payment will ask for information on people's difficulties with (a) communication and (b) mobility.

Maria Miller: Communication and mobility needs cover three of the 11 activities against which the assessment for entitlement to personal independence payment will be made. We will be asking claimants to personal independence payment to explain in their own words how their disability or health condition affects them in all the activities, in writing and at a face-to-face consultation where one is required.

Remploy

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what incentives he plans to offer to local businesses to employ disabled people made redundant by Remploy.

Maria Miller: We are committed to providing a comprehensive package of personalised support for every disabled member of staff who is affected by these announcements.
	The support package is designed to be flexible so that support is tailored to meet each individual's specific needs, including providing support to help people who have difficulties fitting into mainstream employment and includes access to other work related opportunities available from Remploy and Jobcentre Plus employer networks.
	We will also be working with employers, including local employers, and the Employers Forum on Disability to look to offer targeted work opportunities for displaced staff.
	Additionally through referral to existing back-to-work support including Access to Work, individuals and employers will receive additional advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of an individual's needs.
	We want disabled people to be treated in the same way as any other person in the workplace. Businesses will be able to access the same incentives to employ displaced Remploy disabled employees as are available for other workers.

Remploy: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance he has offered to Remploy factories in Wales to become more profitable.

Maria Miller: Following publication of the 2008 Modernisation Plan, a great deal of work was taken forward across Government to increase public procurement opportunities for supported businesses. This activity raised awareness and increased opportunities as part of the £555 million of investment through the modernisation plan. It is clear that the performance targets for the factories set out in its plan will not be met. Independent advice has demonstrated that many of the businesses will never even break even.
	Remploy has started collective consultation with trade unions and the management forums on the proposed closure of the 36 factories that the Remploy Board considers (subject to consultation) are unlikely to be able to break even. Remploy will look carefully at proposals for the exit of any parts of the Remploy businesses currently subject to consultation along with any other proposals for avoiding compulsory redundancies.
	As part of this process the Remploy Board would be happy to discuss any proposals for Remploy factories in Wales/Scotland identified in stage 1.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who are claiming benefits to which they are not entitled by (a) region, (b) sex and (c) age; what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of such claims; and what measures are being put in place to reduce that number.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available because the National Statistics that provide estimates of the level of fraud and error across the benefit system are based on a sample of claims. The sample survey is designed to provide data at a national level, and cannot produce robust results at a regional level of detail, or by sex and age.

Unemployed People: Travel

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Flexible Support Fund in helping people find work.

Chris Grayling: The Flexible Support Fund will be evaluated as part of the overall Jobcentre Plus support evaluation.
	District managers have local information which they use to identify and prioritise local spend, contributing to effective local solutions for tackling the issues that help to meet DWP's objectives.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 65W, on universal credit, how much of the £2 billion allocated to the introduction of universal credit he estimates will be spent in 2012-13; and how much of that will be spent on (a) increases in benefit expenditure, (b) additional benefit administration costs in the transition period, (c) IT development and implementation, (d) communications, (e) staff training and (f) programme management.

Chris Grayling: It is estimated that a total of £332 million will be spent in 2012-13 on universal credit. This will be spent on IT development, programme management, implementation planning, communications and staff training in preparation for the launch of a universal credit pathfinder at the start of 2013-14. The initial breakdown of the total budget between these headings is still the subject of final discussions and is not yet available.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 65W, on universal credit, how much of the £105 million allocated to the introduction of universal credit which is to be spent in 2011-12 will be spent on (a) increases in benefit expenditure, (b) additional benefit administration costs in the transition period, (c) IT development and implementation, (d) communications, (e) staff training and (f) programme management.

Chris Grayling: Of the £105 million allocated to the introduction of universal credit in 2011-12, we expect £79 million will have been spent on IT related development with the balance being spent on programme management and implementation planning, subject to finalisation of year end accounts.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to announce what role local authorities will play in delivering universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The universal credit programme team are currently working with the Local Government Association, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association in order to develop proposals for how local authorities will fit into the delivery model for universal credit.
	We will be able to describe the outcome over the next months.

Work Capability Assessment

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value is of payments made to ATOS in respect of the Harrington changes to work capability assessments for employment and support allowance claims.

Chris Grayling: To date payments made to ATOS for the changes to the work capability assessment for employment support allowance in order to implement the changes recommended by Professor Harrington are £3.58 million.
	In the period April 2010 to March 2011 the total cost of running the Atos Medical Services contract was £112.8 million.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the US Secretary of Defense since his statement on American forces ending their combat role in 2013.

Philip Hammond: I have regular and routine discussions with the US Defense Secretary on a range of issues. There is no substantive difference between the United States' approach in Afghanistan and our own. Both the US and the UK are committed to the strategy agreed at the Lisbon summit in 2010 and which NATO Defence Ministers reaffirmed on 2 February 2012.

Afghanistan

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many supply and re-supply operations there have been to Afghanistan since (a) operations began and (b) January 2011; and what the cost of those operations was in each period.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 26 March 2012
	It will take time to compile the information held by the Ministry of Defence about the number of movements to transport supplies to and from Afghanistan.
	I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been collated.

Air Force: Languages

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF pilots have learnt foreign languages as part of the carrier programme.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 March 2012
	No RAF pilots have undergone a foreign language training course as part of the Carrier Enabled Power Projection programme.

Air Travel

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions he has taken flights to overseas countries on official business since August 2010; what class of travel was used on each such flight; and by whom he was accompanied on each such flight.

Philip Hammond: Details of all Ministers' overseas visits, including the cost of flights and number of officials accompanying the Minister, are published every quarter on the Ministry of Defence website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/Expenses/MinistersHospitalityReceived.htm
	The Secretary of State is accompanied by a Private Secretary, and a special adviser and officials if the business requires. Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.

Aircraft Carriers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of cats and traps on the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.

Peter Luff: holding answer 12 March 2012
	We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and balancing the equipment plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the carrier strike programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent examination he has made of the comparative cost of (a) fitting catapults and arrestor gear to one of the future carriers and (b) acquiring instead short take-off and vertical landing aircraft for use on either of the carriers; whether both carriers would be used in the fixed-wing strike aircraft role if VSTOL aircraft were acquired for the Fleet Air Arm; what assessment he has made of the potential effects this would have on the availability of a continuous fixed-wing carrier-strike capability; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: holding answer 26 March 2012
	We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and balancing the equipment plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the carrier strike programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), will announce the outcome of this process at the earliest opportunity.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) cost and (b) time period of installation will be of installing catapult and arrestor gear on one Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier.

Peter Luff: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and balancing the equipment plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the carrier strike programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  at the time of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, what the estimated cost was of installing catapult and arrestor gear on one Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier;
	(2)  whether it is his intention that the Queen Elizabeth Class carriers will be fitted with the US Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.

Peter Luff: We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and balancing the Equipment plan. As part of this process we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the carrier strike programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), expects to announce the outcome of this process to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

Aircraft Carriers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weight of jet is able to take off from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Peter Luff: The UK co-operates closely with France on a number of collaborative programmes; but we are unable to comment on the technical specification of other nations’ capabilities.

Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what guidance he has issued to members of the armed forces on contact with hon. Members;
	(2)  what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had on the rules governing contact between hon. Members and members of the armed forces;
	(3)  whether his Department has changed the rules governing contact between hon. Members and members of the armed forces in the last 12 months.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 20 March 2012
	There have been no changes to the rules governing contact between hon. Members and members of the armed forces. A Defence Instruction and Notice (DIN) was published on 8 March 2012, sponsored by the Permanent Secretary, which brought together in one document the extant rules and authorisation procedures for Ministry of Defence employees having contact with parliamentarians. It also provided MOD employees conducting parliamentary business with a list of points of contact within the Department. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Police

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the role of defence community police officers and the services they provide to members of the armed forces and their families.

Nick Harvey: We consulted last year on proposals to focus the Ministry of Defence police defence community police officers on the Army garrisons where the greatest benefit was derived from their presence. I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made today by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, the right hon. Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), that includes proposals for further changes.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of UK armed forces are Scottish regiments.

Nick Harvey: Of the 141 Regular Regiments/Battalions in the British Army, nine draw their historical origin from Scotland. These are:
	The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 SCOTS)
	The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS)
	The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS)
	The Highlanders, 4th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS)
	The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland (5 SCOTS)
	1st Battalion Scots Guards
	The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
	19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Highland Gunners)
	40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners).

Defence

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to achieve interim (a) missile defence capability and (b) alert capability of a missile attack.

Nick Harvey: The UK has no indigenous ballistic missile defence capability. However, we are party to the decisions made at the NATO Lisbon summit in November 2010 and the NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Action Plan as approved by NATO Defence Ministers in June 2011. I anticipate that the implementation of NATO's Ballistic Missile Defence capability will be assessed at the forthcoming Chicago summit in May.
	The ballistic missile early warning capability at RAF Fylingdales has been fully operational since 1963.

Falkland Islands

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the privatisation of search and rescue services in the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many military helicopters will be stationed in the Falkland Islands following the privatisation of search and rescue services; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what consideration he has given to retaining military search and rescue capability in the Falkland Islands following the privatisation of search and rescue services; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The current search and rescue helicopter service in the Falkland Islands is provided by the RAF using Sea King helicopters, which will go out of service no later than 31 March 2016. The Ministry of Defence is currently examining alternative means of supplying a search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards. This project will consider all options to determine which would best deliver this capability, and no decisions have yet been made.

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

Peter Luff: The overall policy lead for intellectual property is held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills via the intellectual property office. The Ministry of Defence has an interest in copyright, registered and unregistered designs, trade marks and patents. We work closely with the intellectual property office in these areas.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Intelligence and Security Committee are given full access by the US authorities to (a) the inner Operations area, (b) other parts of the Operations area and (c) other areas of NSA Menwith Hill.

Nick Harvey: The Intelligence and Security Committee does not comment on the details of its work programme. Where appropriate it publishes information on visits it has undertaken in its annual reports.

Intelligence and Security Committee

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when members of (a) the Intelligence and Security Committee, (b) the Joint Intelligence Committee, (c) the Assessment Staff, (d) the Intelligence, Security and Resilience Group, (e) the Defence Intelligence Staff, (f) the Joint Intelligence Organisation, (g) the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, (h) Defence Intelligence in the Ministry of Defence and (i) the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism in the Home Office last visited NSA Menwith Hill; and what the (i) names of the visitors and (ii) dates of the visits were.

Nick Harvey: We do not comment on the work programme of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Where appropriate the Committee publishes information on visits it has undertaken in its annual reports.
	We do not comment on the detailed day to day workings of members of intelligence organisations.

Iraq Conflict: Depleted Uranium

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pieces of Iraqi military equipment were destroyed using depleted uranium ammunition by coalition forces during the 2003 Iraq conflict; and how many of these (a) have been made inaccessible to civilians and (b) remain in urban areas.

Nick Harvey: There is no record of the quantity of Iraqi military equipment destroyed using depleted uranium (DU) ammunition by UK armed forces.
	There is no requirement for and no central records are held of military equipment destroyed by UK armed forces beyond that for necessary operational analysis.
	In the UK area of operations, the practice was for destroyed, broken down and abandoned equipment to be secured at the Al Basrah International and Shaibah airfields. Control of this equipment and of any that may remain elsewhere is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq. Details relating to other coalition forces are matters for them alone.
	Our own reports and scientific consensus conclude DU intakes are only likely to be a concern for those in or on vehicles at the time they are struck by DU munitions or for those who enter immediately afterwards.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the F-35B joint strike fighter variant will be able to fire advanced medium range air-air missiles.

Peter Luff: All three joint strike fighter variant aircraft (F-35A, F-35B and F-35C) are capable of firing the AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missile.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who attended the Joint Strike Fighter Executive Steering Board Meeting in Sydney on 15 March 2012; and what was discussed.

Peter Luff: Rear-Admiral H. H. Parker represented the Department at the recent Joint Strike Fighter Executive Steering Board (JSFESB) Meeting in Sydney, as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) Carrier Enabled Power Projection. The JSFESB exercises executive level guidance and oversight of the JSF programme.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to lease additional C-17 aircraft to transport equipment from Afghanistan.

Peter Luff: There are no plans to lease additional C-17 aircraft to transport equipment from Afghanistan. As the Prime Minister announced in Parliament on 8 February 2012, Official Report, columns 300-01, the Ministry of Defence has purchased an eighth C-17 which is due to be delivered in July 2012, and will be able to transport equipment from Afghanistan as well as a wide range of other tasks.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions a foreign-requested aircraft has provided search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters in the last five years; what role each aircraft played; and what the location of each incident was.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 224W.
	Since 23 November 2010 to 21 March 2012 there has been one occasion where a foreign aircraft was requested to provide search and rescue assistance over UK territorial waters. On 25 November 2011, a helicopter from the Republic of Ireland assisted with the medical rescue of a crewman from a fishing vessel 12 nautical miles East of Downpatrick in Northern Ireland. This aircraft was tasked as the condition of the casualty required use of the closest possible asset.

Military Bases

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost is of the relocation of Waterbeach Barracks to Kinloss.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 March 2012
	I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 6 March 2012, Official Report, column 646W, to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert).

Military Bases

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the relocation of Waterbeach Barracks to Kinloss was brought forward.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 26 March 2012
	In the Defence Transformation announcement of 18 July 2011, the previous Secretary of State for Defence said that we would place Army units in Kinloss in around 2014-15, subject to further detailed planning. He also said that we planned to vacate and dispose of Waterbeach by 2014-15.
	In November 2011, we announced that 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) would move from Waterbeach to Kinloss in the summer of 2012 and, consistent with this, we anticipate this move will take place in July.
	The RAF had always intended vacating Kinloss by 31 March 2013, thereby creating space for the Army. The summer 2012 timeline was governed by the need for Army personnel to access secondary education at the correct time and has also allowed the continuation of local schools and services in the area. The move has also been timed to fit around 39 Engineer Regiment (Air Support) operational commitments and has the added benefit of allowing the Army to take advantage of the RAF's knowledge of the site and local issues, thereby helping the Army to integrate into the community.

Ministry of Defence Police

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Ministry of Defence Police are based at Colchester Garrison.

Andrew Robathan: There are currently two Ministry of Defence Police constables, based at Colchester Garrison. This will reduce to one police constable from 1 April 2012. Essex police retain primacy for the Colchester Garrison area. In addition, there are two Royal Military Police elements present, comprising approximately 90 military police personnel.

Ministry of Defence Police

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has considered reducing the number of Ministry of Defence police officers at HMNB Clyde.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) keeps its security arrangements under close review at all times to ensure that these are appropriate, proportionate and are met as cost-effectively as possible.
	There are no current plans to reduce the core MOD police role at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. The security of our nuclear establishments remains our highest priority and we would never contemplate changes that would place these in jeopardy.

Nuclear Power Stations: Safety

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role was played by the RAF Regiment radiation monitoring team in Japan following the accident at Fukushima in March 2011; and what the cost was of the deployment of this team.

Nick Harvey: A three-man RAF Regiment radiation monitoring team, along with a Ministry of Defence health physicist, deployed to the British embassy in Tokyo from 21 March to 21 April 2011. They conducted air and soil sampling around the embassy and local area and monitored equipment and vehicles for contamination to advise and reassure embassy staff. The team also devised plans to protect UK personnel working at the embassy in the event of a further release from Fukushima.
	The team were tasked solely on a UK national basis to support British embassy staff and to assist with providing advice to British citizens in Japan.
	The cost to the MOD was approximately £20,000.

RAF Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who pays for the operation of the Menwith Hill shuttle bus that runs between NSA Menwith Hill and Harrogate.

Nick Harvey: The shuttle bus that runs between Harrogate and RAF Menwith Hill is funded by the US authorities.

Somalia: Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many suspicious vessels UK armed forces have intercepted off the Somali coast in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: In the 12 months to 23 March 2011, there have been 13 incidents in which the Royal Navy has intercepted vessels suspected of being involved in piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Syria

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to work with the US Administration to resolve the situation in Syria.

Nick Harvey: The Ministry of Defence has regular engagement with our US counterparts on defence and security related issues, including ongoing events in Syria.

Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on taxis for (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants between August 2011 and January 2012.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Ministers spent £337 on taxis between 1 August 2011 and 31 January 2012.
	Taxi fares reimbursed to civil servants are not recorded separately from fares incurred for travel by bus or on the underground.
	Ministry of Defence staff may only use a taxi for official duty when there is a business benefit to the Department or when it saves money. A taxi is typically used where no other suitable form of public transport is available or where heavy baggage or equipment has to be carried.

TRANSPORT

Cycling: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish data on public perceptions of the safety of cycling in each local authority area.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport sponsors a set of questions on the NatCen British Social Attitudes survey. This contains questions on people's confidence about cycling on the roads and whether they believe it is too dangerous for them to cycle on the roads.
	In 2011, this survey achieved interviews with 3,311 adults in Great Britain. This response is not large enough to produce robust statistical estimates at a local authority level. However, national results are available in the report at
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/2011-british-social-attitudes-survey-attitudes-to-transport/bsa-2011-report.pdf
	(pages 18-19) and in these tables
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/att0321.xls
	and
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/att0322.xls
	Results for the English regions, Scotland and Wales are presented in the following table. The relatively small sample sizes for these results means that many of the apparent differences are not statistically significant.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  North East North West Yorkshire and Humberside East Midlands West Midlands SW Eastern Inner London Outer London South East Wales Scotland Great Britain 
			 How confident would you say you feel about cycling on the roads?              
			 Very confident 9 9 9 12 8 11 21 12 9 11 13 5 10 
			 Fairly confident 20 21 23 20 22 23 22 26 25 13 21 19 21 
			 Not very confident 32 33 26 28 34 33 17 30 28 36 28 34 30 
			 Not at all confident 40 36 39 40 33 33 40 30 38 39 36 41 37 
			 Don't know — — 3 1 3 — — 2 0 1 1 2 1 
			               
			 'It is too dangerous for me to cycle on the roads'              
			 Agree strongly 31 31 30 27 31 25 36 22 28 32 24 37 30 
			 Agree 34 32 29 36 33 31 23 35 32 33 32 30 32 
			 Neither agree nor disagree 12 14 17 16 16 17 11 16 14 11 17 15 15 
			 Disagree 18 18 18 19 15 22 22 17 24 19 23 15 19 
			 Disagree strongly 4 5 3 1 3 4 7 8 2 5 2 3 4 
			 Don't know — — 2 1 2 — — 2 — — 1 — 1 
			 Proportion of cyclists(1) 26 28 24 31 31 38 29 25 37 33 28 29 31 
			 Number of responses 165 414 261 272 321 353 133 210 453 277 179 273 3,311 
			 ‘— ’Indicates value is negligible (less than half the final digit presented) (1) Has access to a bicycle and cycled at least once in the previous 12 months Source: NatCen British Social Attitudes survey, 2011

Cycling: Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to encourage non-London local authorities and the Highways Agency to identify and prioritise junctions where cycle safety improvements are most needed.

Michael Penning: We take the issue of cycle safety very seriously.
	The Department for Transport collects data on all personal injury road accidents reported to the police. Data on all individual accidents in the years 2005-10 is available to download at
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/road-accidents-safety-data
	Data for 2011 will be uploaded in late summer. These data are used widely by local authorities across Great Britain to target safety improvement work on the roads they manage. Departmental officials are also currently analysing the data to identify areas where high numbers of cycling accidents have occurred.
	I, along with my colleague the Minister for Cycling, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), have recently written to all local highway authorities in England explaining what the Government are doing on cycling and cycle safety and also what action they could consider taking in their areas. Furthermore, the safety sub-group of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum, which brings together government, cycling groups and local authority representatives has already started looking into the issue of road sharing.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to keep Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority data services in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: All the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's data services are currently carried out within the UK and there are no plans to change this. Although users of this data can apply to access this data from abroad, no data storage would be allowed and access would only be permitted under a very strict control framework. One such case has recently been put forward and is being considered.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the route options for the Y route of HS2 proposed by HS2 Ltd will be published.

Justine Greening: holding answer 20 March 2012
	I expect to publish the advice from HS2 Ltd at the same time as announcing my initial preferred route and station options later this year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effects on local businesses of the construction of HS2; and what estimate she has made of the number of such businesses likely to close as a result of HS2 construction.

Justine Greening: holding answer 20 March 2012
	We will seek to minimise the effects of construction works on continued trading by local businesses, wherever possible. Where business premises have to be wholly or partly acquired then the owners have a statutory right to compensation that will reflect their relocation costs and their interest in the property. As was set out in the documents accompanying my decision to proceed with HS2, the Government have already committed to a comprehensive code of construction practice. We will consult on the detail of this, during 2013.

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

Norman Baker: The Government's overall policy lead for intellectual property is held by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills via the Intellectual Property Office. My Department becomes involved in so far as intellectual property issues require collective ministerial consideration.

Large Goods Vehicles: Fees and Charges

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans her Department has for the revenue raised from charging foreign HGVs to use the UK road network.

Michael Penning: The proposed lorry road user charge is defined as a tax so, in common with all other taxes, revenue goes into the consolidated fund. Decisions on how revenue is allocated to Government Departments are made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, independently of how money is raised.
	As I set out to the House in my written statement of 25 January 2012, Official Report, columns 19-20WS, the Government will come forward with measures to offset, as far as possible, the additional user charges for UK hauliers through reductions in other taxes, duties or charges they currently face, or through appropriate spending measures.

Olympic Games 2012

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the possibility of increased congestion and delays at British airports before, during and immediately after the London 2012 Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 26 March 2012
	My Department has commissioned work to assess the likely demand for air travel during the Olympics period and the capacity of airports and airspace to accommodate this level of demand. Our expectation is that the projected level of additional demand can be accommodated providing the available airport and airspace capacity are carefully managed.
	My Department has therefore been working with the CAA, NATS, LOCOG, Border Force, other Government Departments, airports, airlines and other aviation providers to ensure that a wide range of measures is in place to achieve this. These include, among others, slot controls at 40 airports and airfields across southern England during the Olympics period, the creation of additional temporary controlled airspace, the construction of a temporary ‘games terminal’ at Heathrow and the deployment of additional Border Force staff at airports.

Railways: Fares

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will estimate the change in income from rail fares that would arise from changing the cap on fare increases from retail prices index (RPI) plus three per cent. to RPI minus one per cent;
	(2)  if she will assess the financial effects on (a) the public purse, (b) train operating companies and (c) Network Rail of changing the cap on rail fare increases from retail prices index (RPI) plus three per cent. to RPI minus one per cent.

Theresa Villiers: We have no current plans to estimate the revenue effects of such changes to the cap on regulated fares. As we set out in the Rail Command Paper, we are committed to tackling the £2.5 billion to £3.5 billion of inefficiencies in the rail system we inherited. Once those savings are realised and the improvement in the wider economic situation permits, we plan to reduce and then abolish above-inflation rises in average regulated fares.

Rescue Services

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many leisure vessels have received assistance from each of the maritime rescue co-ordination centres in the last five years.

Michael Penning: The following table provides the number of incidents that have involved leisure vessels over the last five calendar years by each maritime rescue co-ordination centre (MRCC). The Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not hold data in a format which specifically breaks down the number of leisure vessels involved in each incident.
	
		
			 Leisure incidents (1)  by MRCC, 2007-11 
			 MRCC 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Aberdeen 114 56 82 96 92 
			 Belfast 161 131 170 143 145 
			 Brixham 443 415 406 443 472 
			 Clyde 254 231 302 268 330 
			 Dover 117 122 197 173 198 
			 Falmouth 209 274 271 318 309 
			 Forth 91 49 107 92 63 
			 Holyhead 204 185 264 214 209 
			 Humber 206 163 194 209 224 
			 Liverpool 193 175 211 205 174 
			 London 63 49 62 85 66 
			 Milford Haven 149 156 127 176 136 
			 Portland 383 398 415 374 405 
			 Shetland 22 32 22 26 27 
			 Solent 727 653 801 806 906 
			 Stornoway 38 50 57 61 52 
			 Swansea 230 205 232 232 242 
			 Thames 378 339 415 393 416 
			 Yarmouth 184 151 180 178 180 
			 Total 4,166 3,834 4,515 4,492 4,646 
			 (1) Leisure vessel incidents (including sail, motorboat, dinghy, rowing, vessel angling). Source: UKSAR Vision database (MCA).

Rescue Services

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) training and (b) flying hours will be stipulated in the contract to provide search and rescue services.

Michael Penning: The future contract requires a total of 50 flying hours for Search and Rescue role flying training per month to be completed at each base.
	The requirement includes the provision of training for normal and abnormal situations e.g. dunker training and simulator training.
	Any training above 50 hours will be a cost for the contractor to meet. Or they will be able to seek a variation to the contract at a later date.

Traffic Penalty Tribunal

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many staff the Traffic Penalty Tribunal employed on a (a) full-time equivalent and (b) headcount basis in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what correspondence her Department received on the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: Information about staffing levels is not held by the Department for Transport. Information about the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) is available at:
	http://www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk
	In the last five years, the Department has received a total of seven items of correspondence on the TPT, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2008-09 1 
			 2009-10 2 
			 2010-11 2 
			 2011-12 2

CABINET OFFICE

Business Appointments Advisory Committee

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether he or his Department have provided any briefing or other guidance to witnesses other than Ministers appearing before the Select Committee on Public Administration in connection with its inquiry on the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments; and what the names and job titles are of the (a) witnesses and (b) officials responsible for the briefing.

Francis Maude: When requested, officials provided witnesses with copies of links to publicly available material.

Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff in his Department are responsible for cross-Whitehall policy on commissioning and procurement; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Since June 2010 the number of staff working in the central Efficiency and Reform Group has reduced by over 25%. The cost of running the Government Procurement Service this year is down by more than a quarter compared with 2010-11.
	This Government are ensuring that we do more with fewer people: the Group, working across Whitehall, helped drive £3.75 billion of cash savings for the taxpayer last year and is on track to make another £5 billion of savings this year. Last year's savings included £357 million from centralising procurement and a further £295 million.
	On 1 March 2012 there were around 49 full-time equivalents (FTE) in the central Efficiency and Reform Group working on procurement projects, including those relating to commissioning.

Manpower

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in interim posts by the Department, or a non-ministerial department or arm's length body controlled by his Department through (a) Penna Consulting, (b) Reed Personnel Services and (c) Capita Resourcing Ltd (trading as Veredus); how many such people have been in post for over a year; and how many are full-time.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office, including its non-ministerial departments and arm's length bodies currently employs no interim staff contracted from these agencies. There are six temporary staff from Reed doing clerical work; three have been here longer than 12 months.

Statistics

Paul Uppal: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 56W, on Homes and Communities Agency: statistics, 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the UK Statistics Authority guidance on communicating notifications under section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and any guidance on the practice of pre-releasing notifications;
	(2)  on what date the Board of the UK Statistics Authority took the decision under section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 to write to the Minister of State for Housing and Local Government and to make a notification; and whether that decision was made at a formal meeting of the Board.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Sir Michael Scholar KCB, dated March 2012
	As Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your questions asking (i) for a copy of the UK Statistics Authority guidance on communicating notifications under section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and any guidance on the practice of pre-releasing notifications
	and (ii) on what date the Board of the UK Statistics Authority took the decision under section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 to write to the Minister of State for Housing and Local Government and to make a notification; and if that decision was made at a formal meeting of the Board
	Section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 sets out the requirements placed on the UK Statistics Authority (referred to as the 'Statistics Board' in the Act) in respect of the process for making notifications under that section. The Statistics Authority complies with these requirements in all cases, The Statistics Authority ensures that all notifications under this section are laid before Parliament as the Act requires. Once the notification has been laid, a copy is placed on the Authority's website. The Authority's notification to the Minister of State for Housing and Local Government in respect of statistics produced by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenant Services Authority was sent to the Minister on 6 December 2011, laid before the House on 7 December 2011, and published on the Authority's website on 8 December 2011.
	As Chair of the UK Statistics Authority I took the decision, following discussions within the Authority, to make a notification to the Minister of State for Housing and Local Government under section 16 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 in respect of statistics produced by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenant Services Authority. This was reported to the Authority Board at its meeting on 16 December 2011.
	Under section 16 of the Act, the Minister, as the appropriate authority, is required to provide the Statistics Authority with a statement as to whether he intends to make a request for such an assessment. No reply has yet been received.

Transport: Costs

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of households in (i) England and (ii) each constituency in England which spent more than 10 per cent. of their income on transport costs in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated March 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of households in (i) England and (ii) each constituency in England which spent more than 10 per cent of their income on transport costs in the latest period for which figures are available. (102050)
	The table provided shows the number and proportion of households in England whose expenditure on transport exceeded 10 percent of their disposable income in 2009-10, the latest period available. For comparison, two measures of expenditure on transport are used. The first covers all transport costs including the purchase of vehicles, vehicle running costs including fuel and servicing, plus rail/ bus, coach and airfares. The second measure of expenditure excludes vehicle purchases.
	The disposable income estimates are taken from the ONS analysis ‘The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income’. This analysis is based on data from the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), which is a sample survey covering approximately 5,000 households in the UK. The LCF has been used for this response because it collects both income and expenditure data.
	Estimates by parliamentary constituency are not available due to small sample sizes.
	The estimates provided, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			 Table 1: Households where expenditure on transport exceeds 10% of disposable income (1) , England, 2009-10 
			   Households where expenditure exceeds 10% of disposable income 
			  Average weekly expenditure (£) Percentage Number of households (million) 
			 All travel expenditure 60.20 37.9 8.22 
			 Travel expenditure excluding vehicle purchases 40.10 26.1 5.67 
			 (1) Household disposable income is income from employment, occupational pensions, investments and other non-government sources, plus cash benefits, less direct taxes. Notes: 1. ‘All travel expenditure’ includes purchases of vehicles, spares and accessories, fuel, servicing and other motoring expenses, train, bus and coach tickets, air fares, taxis and other transport costs. 2. Analysis based on a sample of 4,321 households in England. Source: Effects of Taxes and Benefits and Living Costs and Food survey, Office for National Statistics

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been (a) begun and (b) completed in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency since May 2010.

Andrew Stunell: Data are not available at constituency level. There were 658 starts and 1,342 completions of affordable homes in Birmingham City local authority between April 2010 and September 2011, the latest period for which data are available, as reported in the Homes and Communities Agency's six monthly National Housing Statistics. These statistics only cover affordable housing that is delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency's affordable housing programmes; affordable housing delivered outside these programmes is not included. Housing starts cover new build starts only while completions include both new build and acquisitions.
	Total affordable completions, including those delivered outside the Homes and Communities Agency's programmes are published annually in the Department's Affordable Housing Supply statistics available on the Department's website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/affordablehousingsupply/livetables/

Community Relations

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to evaluate the implementation of the measures contained in its document Creating the Conditions for Integration.

Andrew Stunell: holding answer 26 March 2012
	The written ministerial statement 'Creating the Conditions for Integration' of 21 February 2012, Official Report, column 73WS, sets out the Government's approach to enabling and encouraging integration, including the role of exemplar projects. This policy document complements the Government's Social Mobility Strategy and Equality Strategy.
	Specific projects in 'Creating the Conditions' will be monitored and evaluated against each project's objectives. Integration is predominately a local issue which requires a local response, and therefore evaluation is a matter for local areas.

Fire Extinguishers: Schools

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the (a) costs and (b) benefits of installing fire sprinkler systems in new schools.

Andrew Stunell: We have no plans to carry out such an assessment. A cost benefit analysis tool was published by the then Department for Children, Schools and Families in 2007. This tool allows the costs and benefits of sprinklers to be fully considered for each school on an individual basis.

Fire Prevention: Free Schools

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what fire safety requirements apply to free schools where buildings are converted from other uses to educational use.

Andrew Stunell: In most cases the conversion of a building for use as a school would be a material change of use under the Building Regulations 2010 and would require the building to be upgraded to meet the current Building Regulations fire safety standards. In any event, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all non-domestic premises, including schools. Under these regulations, a responsible person (usually the employer, owner or occupier) must carry out a fire risk assessment of the premises and put in place suitable and sufficient fire safety precautions, and appropriate management and maintenance procedures. Guidance on the risk assessment process and range of measures it would be appropriate to consider to deliver compliance with the requirements of the Order in educational premises is available on the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firesafetyrisk6

Housing: Energy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2012, Official Report, columns 469-70W, on housing: energy, what steps his Department has taken to consult on the implementation of the recast of the energy performance of buildings directive and the requirement that all new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities after 31 December 2018 shall be nearly zero energy buildings; what his timetable is for submitting the UK's plans to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department published a consultation paper on the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in 2009(1). In accordance with article 9 of the directive, a national plan is being developed for increasing the number of nearly zero energy buildings. This plan will be submitted to the European Commission later this year.
	(1) http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planninga ndbuilding/recastepbdconsultation

Housing: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing survey coverage in rural areas.

Andrew Stunell: The English Housing Survey is representative of all households in England. A random sample of addresses is selected covering the whole of England equally, irrespective of type of area.

Housing: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new affordable rural homes in smaller settlements have been completed since 2008.

Andrew Stunell: Local authorities are asked to report on their Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix the number of affordable homes delivered in settlements with populations of 3,000 or less. The Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix data can be downloaded from the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/
	During 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 there were nearly 12,000 affordable homes reported as being delivered in these smaller settlements.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations his Department has received from housing associations on provision of credit to those seeking to purchase property under shared ownership schemes from lenders (a) wholly in the private sector and (b) wholly or partly publicly-owned; and what information his Department holds on the level of cash deposits requested by lenders granting mortgages for those participating in shared ownership schemes.

Grant Shapps: My Department is not aware of any recent representations from housing associations of the kind described.
	Decisions concerning the pricing and availability of mortgages and loans, including loan-to-value ratios, remain commercial decisions for the boards of the individual banks and building societies.
	There are currently over 20 lenders, both wholly in the private sector or partly publicly-owned, supporting shared ownership. The current average level of cash deposit requested by lenders is generally 10% of the share being purchased.

Social Rented Housing

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to minimise noise transference in newly built social housing.

Andrew Stunell: All new housing in England is required to provide reasonable resistance to sound from other parts of the same building and from adjacent buildings in accordance with part E (Resistance to the passage of sound) of the Building Regulations.

Social Rented Housing

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of complaints received by local authorities on noise transference within social housing in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is not held centrally.

Temporary Accommodation: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in rural areas were living in temporary accommodation on the latest date for which information is available.

Andrew Stunell: The information requested is given in the following table, grouping local authority areas in line with the latest version of the local authority rural-urban classification.
	
		
			 Urban/rural classification category Number of households in temporary accommodation at 31 December 2011 (1) Number of local authorities 
			 Major Urban 38,310 71 
			 Large Urban 2,590 39 
			 Other Urban 3,560 58 
			 Significant Rural 1,730 55 
			 Rural-50 1,370 48 
			 Rural-80 1,360 55 
			 England 48,920 326 
			 (1) Rounded to the nearest 10. Source: PIE returns from local authorities 
		
	
	The six classification categories are defined as follows:
	Major Urban: districts with either 100,000 people or 50% of their population in urban areas with a population of more than 750,000.
	Large Urban: districts with either 50,000 people or 50% of their population in one of 17 urban areas with a population between 250,000 and 750,000.
	Other Urban: districts with less than 26% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	Significant Rural: districts with more than 26% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	Rural-50: districts with at least 50% but less than 80% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	Rural-80: districts with at least 80% of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
	Further details of the classification are available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/rural/what-is-rural/rural-urban-classification/
	More generally, statistical releases on Statutory Homelessness are available both in the Library of the House and from the DCLG website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/homelessnessstatistics/publicationshomelessness/
	The provision of affordable housing is vital to enable people to stay in their communities. That is why we have already announced that nearly 10% of the agreed bids outside London for the Affordable Homes Programme are for homes in communities with under 3,000 people
	Under the Localism Act we are giving local authorities more freedom, so that they can quickly move people out of expensive temporary accommodation and into a suitable settled home, reducing costs on councils and housing waiting lists.
	We recently announced additional funding of £70 million this year to tackle and prevent rough sleeping and prevent repossessions. This comes on top of the existing £400 million homelessness grant this Government have protected over the next four years.

Troubled Families Initiative: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families will be included in his Department's Troubled Families initiative in the Peterborough City Council area in 2012-13; how much funding he expects to allocate for such purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The director general of the Troubled Families programme, Louise Casey, wrote to all relevant council chief executives in December 2011 giving an initial estimate of numbers of troubled families in their council area. For Peterborough city council, this figure was 450 families. Work to verify these numbers is currently underway. Information on what proportion of these families will be dealt with in each year of the programme is not currently available.
	Payments to local authorities as part of the Troubled Families programme will be determined primarily on a payment-by-results basis. Further details on the arrangements for the programme, including funding and payment arrangements, success measures, and the definition of a troubled family which will underpin these arrangements, will be announced shortly.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the editorial in the British Medical Journal of 8 March 2012, concerning potential health effects of wind farms, whether he plans to propose changes to planning policy relating to wind turbines.

Charles Hendry: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	A number of independent peer reviewed research studies commissioned by DECC and its predecessor Departments have looked at the impacts of noise from wind farms and concluded that there is no evidence of direct health effects arising from infrasound or low frequency noise generated by wind turbines.
	The Government review new evidence carefully to assess whether these conclusions remain valid. In our assessment the British Medical Journal editorial article of 8 March 2012 on wind turbine noise does not change the conclusion that appropriately sited wind turbines do not have a direct effect on public health.
	On 23 June 2011, DECC published an independent report(1) on matters arising from the consideration of noise impacts when determining wind farm applications in England. This found that current guidance (ETSU -R- 97) is fit for purpose and recommended that further good practice guidance is developed to confirm, and where necessary, clarify the way it is implemented in practice in the planning process to ensure consistency. The Institute of Acoustics is producing this additional guidance.
	(1 )Analysis of How Noise Impacts are Considered in the Determination of Wind Farm Planning Applications by Hayes McKenzie Partnership—June 2011
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/wind/onshore/comms_planning/noise/noise.aspx

JUSTICE

Remand in Custody: Expenditure

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average daily cost of remanding a person in custody.

Crispin Blunt: The cost of a prisoner on remand in custody is not separately calculated.
	The estimated average annual overall cost per prisoner in England and Wales for financial year 2010-11 is £37,000 (to nearest £1,000). These are the latest figures.
	Average prisoner costs are calculated for each prison establishment and grouped by prison function on the basis of the major use of each prison. The calculations do not analyse costs by type of sentence or prisoner, and therefore, an average cost for a prisoner serving remand is not available.
	The annual average cost per prisoner equates to an average cost per day of £102. This is across all prisoner types and lengths of custody. This does not represent the marginal cost (or saving) from spending one day more (or less) in prison, as most prison costs are fixed in the short-term. Nor should it be used to calculate the cost of a particular term in custody as costs are not necessarily incurred evenly across a period of custody.
	A predominantly, large number of remand sentences are served in local adult male prisons. The estimated average overall annual cost per prisoner in local adult male prisons for financial year 2010-11 is £35,000 (to nearest £1,000).
	The calculation for cost per prisoner is based on net resource expenditure related to prisons included in the annual accounts of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) expressed in terms of the average prison population. This includes some estimation. Expenditure which is met by other Government Departments, such as expenditure on health and education, is not included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.
	Full details of average cost per prisoner by prison function for financial year 2010-11 can be accessed from the Ministry of Justice website under Management Information Addendum at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/noms/annual-report-accounts-2010-11.htm

Bill of Rights

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of the Commission on a Bill of Rights delivering on its terms of reference.

Kenneth Clarke: The Commission is independent of Government and will decide for itself how they organise their work in order to fulfil their terms of reference.
	The Government look forward to receiving the Commission’s final report, with their assessment of all of the topics within their terms of reference, by end of this year.

Chief Coroner

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the cost of establishing an independent appeals process for decisions made by the newly appointed Chief Coroner.

Jonathan Djanogly: There are no proposals to establish an independent appeals process for decisions made by the Chief Coroner, therefore the Government have not undertaken work to estimate the cost of establishing such a process.

Chief Coroner

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his removal of the power of the Chief Coroner under section 40 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, where responsibility lies for drawing general lessons from the conduct and findings of inquests.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Chief Coroner, once in post, will be responsible for drawing general lessons from the conduct of investigations and the findings of inquests. In particular, the Chief Coroner will be under a duty to produce an annual report on the coroner system to the Lord Chancellor which must include information about investigations lasting more than 12 months, a summary of matters reported by coroners to prevent future deaths and the responses to those reports, as well as any matters the Chief Coroner wishes to bring to the attention of the Lord Chancellor, and any matters the Lord Chancellor has asked the Chief Coroner to cover in the report.

Corruption: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to EU Council Decision 2003/642/JHA, what assessment his Department has made of the likely benefits of applying the convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of members states of the European Union to Gibraltar.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government have not made any assessment of the likely benefits of applying the convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of member states of the European Union to Gibraltar.

Courts: Translation Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on translation and interpretation at (a) Peterborough Crown Court and (b) Peterborough Magistrates' Court in each year since 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The figures for Peterborough Combined Court are set out in the following table. Figures are provided for the year 2006-07 onwards. Data relating to the period before the creation of HM Courts Service in 2005-06 are not available. Expenditure for magistrates courts is not available centrally and could be made available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Peterborough Combined (Crown) (£) 
			 2006-07 36,447 
			 2007-08 54,195 
			 2008-09 67,253 
			 2009-10 50,952 
			 2010-11 75,328

Courts: Translation Services

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court cases have been delayed in the last 12 months as a result of Applied Language Solutions not providing an interpreter.

Jonathan Djanogly: The contract with Applied Language Services was introduced in criminal courts in the north west in December 2011 and was implemented across the rest of HMCTS on 30 January 2012. No figures are available on the number of court cases delayed as result of problems with interpreters.

Criminal Records: EU Action

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to implement a system of information sharing on sexual and serious offenders across EU borders.

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Home Department.
	Since 2006 an EU Council Decision has been in place to enable the sharing of criminal records data across the EU. This requires other member states to notify us when a British citizen is convicted in their jurisdiction. It also allows us to request information from other member states about their nationals who are subject to criminal proceedings here. This council decision will be replaced by a new framework decision in April this year and the going live of the European Criminal Records Information System. This will make responding to requests compulsory and will also allow the secure electronic transfer of data between member states using common codes for offences and sanctions. We expect this to increase both the volume and efficiency of exchange.
	The UK is keen to build upon this measure by encouraging our EU partners to adopt a more proactive approach to sharing information about serious sexual and violent offenders who might seek to travel across the EU and who pose a risk to the public. We have recently submitted a bid to the European Commission seeking funding to lead a project across a number of member states to assess the risk posed by sexual and violent offenders crossing internal EU borders. This aims to develop and share best practice across member states in managing this group of offenders both domestically and as they cross internal EU borders.

Departmental Expenditure

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on taxis for (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants between August 2011 and January 2012;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on (a) cut flowers and (b) pot plants between May 2010 and February 2012;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on complimentary refreshments for (a) staff and (b) visitors in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department spent £460.29 on taxis for Ministers between August 2011 and January 2012. No central records are available for expenditure on taxis for civil servants.
	The Department's policy on travel by taxi (or use of the Government car service) is that it is not an entitlement and, where possible, journeys should be made by public transport. Taxi fares may be reimbursed only where there is no other suitable form of public transport, or where heavy luggage has to be transported, or where the saving in officials' time is important. Where necessary, a standing arrangement may be made, say, for the conveyance of a large number of files from a court office to a separate court building.
	The use of pot plants in the Department's buildings is very minimal. It is likely that some courts and prison buildings have pot plants in the reception area to give a welcoming atmosphere to visitors. For the Department's HQ estate, the expenditure on plants for this financial year is £14,000. The Department regularly reviews its policy on the use of pot plants to maximise value for money.
	Our accounting systems do not record expenditure in sufficient details to allow us to extract cost of cut flowers and pot plants from other miscellaneous expenditure.
	The Department does not hold central records for expenditure on complimentary refreshments for staff and visitors separately. However, the following restrictions apply to all staff:
	No lunches, tea or coffees can be ordered for any internal meeting (i.e. a meeting between MOJ staff). Water and jugs are freely available in most of our offices.
	For all external meetings (i.e. a meeting between MOJ staff and external stakeholders), lunch, tea and coffee purchases require director-level sign-off and are only allowed in exceptional circumstances.
	To provide information on Departmental expenditure on taxis for civil servants, cut flowers, pot plants and complimentary refreshments for staff and visitors would involve disproportionate cost.

Employment Tribunals Service

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 February 2012, Official Report, columns 368-9W, on Employment Tribunals Service, how many of the 1,495 unpaid employment tribunal awards and ACAS settlements passed to High Court enforcement officers in financial year 2010-11 have been fully enforced; how many have been partially enforced; how many could not be enforced; and how many cases remain unresolved.

Jonathan Djanogly: Recently updated figures show that in financial year (FY) 2010-11, 1,499 employment tribunal and ACAS settlements were passed to High Court enforcement officers. Of those, 418 were paid in full; 49 were paid in part; 66 were paid by instalments; 49 are ongoing; 762 were unenforceable; and, 155 are currently being investigated further.
	Of the 762 cases individual reasons for non enforcement are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Category Cases 
			 Unable to make contact with debtor 111 
			 Debtor insolvent 298 
			 Enforcement stopped by order of court 13 
			 Enforcement stopped by creditor 135 
			 Writ expired(1) 169 
			 General—Other reasons 36 
			 (1 )Writs are valid for a period of 12 months from issue

Family Courts: Expert Evidence

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider the report commissioned by the Family Justice Council on Evaluating Expert Witness Psychological Reports; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice will look carefully at the findings of this study. We accept that there is a need for reform of the use of expert witnesses in family proceedings. The Government published their response to the Family Justice Review on 6 February. This set out our intention to work with expert witness representative bodies and others to improve the quality of expert witness reports. We also intend to legislate to reduce over-reliance on expert witness reports in care proceedings.

Fines: EU Law

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to Article 4 of EU Council Framework Decision 2005/214/JHA, how many final decisions requiring a financial penalty to be paid by a natural or legal person the UK has (a) transmitted to and (b) received from other EU member states in each year since 2005; and how many such decisions were enforced.

Kenneth Clarke: The provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2005/214/JHA of 24 February 2005 were implemented into England, Wales and Northern Ireland law in 2009, through the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. There was a minor amendment made through the Criminal Procedure Rules 2011. In Scotland the Order was made under powers conferred by sections 56 of the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007. Then implemented by the Mutual Recognition of Criminal Financial Penalties in the European Union (Scotland) Order (SSI 2009/342).
	The first cases to be sent to and received from member states were in 2010.
	
		
			  Number of cases transmitted to other EU member states Number of cases received from other EU member states Incoming cases paid in full Number of incoming cases remitted Incoming cases that are ongoing and being enforced 
			 2010 1 68 25 1 25 
			 2011 21 175 44 2 61 
			 2012 19 59 — — 4 
		
	
	The difference in the overall numbers of incoming orders and the above will be those that where rejected and returned back to the member states.

Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to encourage the accession of additional countries to the 1980 Hague Convention on international child abduction.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), is responsible for international child abduction cases between Contracting States to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and has the overall policy lead. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), is responsible for the decision on whether the UK should enter into treaty relations with new countries acceding to the 1980 Hague Convention. Officials from both Departments work together to encourage accession to the Convention by countries capable of operating the Convention effectively. In principle the UK supports the accession of such countries. Ministry of Justice officials participate in meetings in the UK and abroad to explain the legislative and procedural framework for effective operation of the Convention.

Legal Aid Scheme

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many law firms in the London Borough of Bexley received payments for legal aid work in each of the last five years; and what the total value of payments was in each year.

Jonathan Djanogly: Information on the total amount spent on providers in the London borough of Bexley for years other than the most recent year, 2010-11, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The total value of payments to legal aid providers in the London borough of Bexley during 2010-11 was £6.5 million. The number of provider offices with legal aid contracts enabling them to undertake work in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years is outlined in the following table. One firm may operate from several offices therefore the number of offices may exceed the number of firms. The Legal Services Commission contracts with not-for-profit organisations as well as solicitor firms. The figures therefore include not-for-profit organisations.
	
		
			  Number of offices 
			 2006-07 21 
			 2007-08 22 
			 2008-09 19 
			 2009-10 15 
			 2010-11 14

Legal Aid Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that litigants in person will continue to be able to access justice following the reduction in face-to-face advice and assistance from the Courts Service;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of reducing access to face-to-face advice and assistance from the Courts Service on litigants in person; and whether this assessment took into account any increase in the number of litigants in person following the implementation of proposed reductions in legal aid;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on court caseloads of the reduction in face-to-face advice and assistance from the Courts Service.

Jonathan Djanogly: My written ministerial statement of 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 11WS, explained that Her Majesty's Court and Tribunal Service was exploring the potential to modernise the way in which it provided face to face services in the civil and family courts. As that statement made clear such exploration is in the context of the 2008 document “Framework for the provision of front office services in civil courts” and subject to local consultations.
	Local consultations have recently taken place on potential changes to services and we are currently analysing the responses received. No changes have yet been made.
	Any changes would be subject to regular review and this process would ensure that the impact of other planned policies, such as those in relation to legal aid, were properly considered at the appropriate time.
	However, we would not expect changes to face to face services to have an effect on caseloads and expect any increase in litigants in person as result of planned legal aid changes to be offset by increases in mediation and reductions in cases coming to court.

Legal Aid Scheme

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 217W, on legal aid: fees and charges, in respect of how many cases the Legal Services Commission makes a profit on the basis of the rate of interest on the statutory charge;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 217W, on legal aid: fees and charges, for what reason the rate of interest on statutory charges is fixed at eight per cent.

Jonathan Djanogly: The statutory charge is part of a larger and integrated system and costs cannot be isolated at case level. The rate of 8% simple interest is designed to encourage those who can raise private funds to repay their statutory charge, either through extending their mortgage, or lending from a reputable bank, to do so. Money recovered helps to keep legal aid on a sustainable footing, which reduces demand on the taxpayer.

Location

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to relocate any staff in his Department to new offices in Birmingham.

Kenneth Clarke: Within the last year the Ministry of Justice has re-located around 320 office staff within the Public Guardian posts from London to new offices in the Government's estate in Birmingham. There are no current plans for any significant future relocation of staff to new administrative offices in Birmingham.

Prisoners

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average prison population was in each year since 1990.

Crispin Blunt: The prison population annual average for England and Wales 1990 to 2010 (latest available) are provided in the following table.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Prison population annual average, 1990 to 2010, England and Wales 
			  Number 
			 1990 44,975 
			 1991 44,809 
			 1992 44,719 
			 1993 44,552 
			 1994 48,621 
			 1995 50,962 
			 1996 55,281 
			 1997 61,114 
			 1998 65,298 
			 1999 64,771 
			 2000 64,602 
			 2001 66,301 
			 2002 70,778 
			 2003 73,038 
			 2004 74,657 
			 2005 75,979 
			 2006 78,127 
			 2007 80,216 
			 2008 82,572 
			 2009 83,559 
			 2010 84,725 
			 Notes: 1. The prison population average is the average of the 12-month end prison populations. 2. Due to technical problems relating to the supply of data for statistical purposes, month end data was not available for the period from July 2009 to February 2010, so data for the last Friday of the month has been used instead (except for December 2009, where 18 December was used).

Prisons: Private Sector

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) suicides, (b) deaths by natural causes and (c) unclassified deaths of prisoners there have been in each of the privately-run prisons since they opened.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the total number of deaths by category for privately operated prisons up to the end of 2010 the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Deaths in privately operated prisons (1)  by apparent cause (2) 
			  Year opened Self-inflicted (3) Natural causes Un-classified (4) 
			 Total(1)  75 107 2 
			 Altcourse 1997 16 17 0 
			 Ashfield 1999 0 0 0 
			 Bronzefield 2004 0 2 1 
			 Doncaster 1994 23 15 1 
			 Dovegate 2001 6 14 0 
			 Forest Bank 2000 4 4 0 
			 Lowdham Grange 1998 1 6 0 
			 Parc 1997 14 20 0 
			 Peterborough 2005 1 9 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Rye Hill 2001 3 16 0 
			 Wolds 1992 7 4 0 
			 (1) The table includes deaths in prisons classified as privately run at the end of 2010. They exclude Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall which were privately operated for a period but are now run by the public sector. They also exclude HMP Birmingham which did not become a privately run prison until October 2011. (2) The National Offender Management Service uses a classification system based on the apparent cause of death. The actual cause of death is not confirmed until the conclusion of the coroner's inquest which is held into all deaths in prison custody. The classification of death may change following an inquest or as new information emerges. (3) The 'Self-inflicted' category includes a wider range of deaths than suicides. When comparing these figures with other published data it is important to determine what definitions are used. (4) 'Unclassified' was a new category first used in official figures in 2010. Numbers reported in this category are expected to reduce over time.

Telephone Tapping: Business

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to provide greater protection for small businesses which are encouraged to enter into binding legal contracts by the use of recorded telephone messages.

Jonathan Djanogly: We have no plans to change the requirements of the law of England and Wales regarding the formation of contracts. One of these requirements is that the parties must intend to create legal relations. Any small business considering entering a contract, whether encouraged to do so by recorded telephone message or not, should ensure that it understands the consequences of doing so, taking legal advice where necessary. Legal remedies are available for people who have been induced to enter a contract by misrepresentation or fraud. Small businesses that consider they have been tricked into entering a contract should consult the trading standards department of their local authority and if necessary take legal advice as to their rights and the ways in which they can be enforced.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Tuberculosis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of progress towards international tuberculosis control targets as set out in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2011-2015; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Across the World Health Organisation's six regions, the world is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of halting and reversing the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) by 2015. In relation to the targets outlined in the Global Plan to Stop TB 2011-15, the tuberculosis mortality rates have also fallen by just over a third since 1990 and are on track to meet the target of halving 1990 mortality rates by 2015. However, the target of halving the 1990 prevalence rates by 2015 is unlikely to be achieved globally, although it has been reached in the Americas.
	Although considerable progress has been made, significant challenges remain, including drug resistant TB and TB-HIV co-infection.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of internally displaced people in Iraq in each year since 2003;
	(2)  what assistance his Department is providing to reduce the number of internally displaced people in Iraq;
	(3)  whether his Department is taking steps to encourage Iraqi refugees who fled from their country to return.

Alan Duncan: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that there are around 1.3 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in Iraq. Most are unable to return to their areas of origin because of the difficult security situation, the destruction of their homes, or a lack of access to services.
	Between 2003 and 2011 the Department for International Development (DFID) provided over £200 million of humanitarian assistance to IDPs, other vulnerable groups in Iraq, and Iraqi refugees outside Iraq, through the United Nations (UN) agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The UK will continue to provide support to populations affected by displacement in Iraq until 2014, as part of a project implemented in several countries by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Multilateral agencies such as the UN also continue to provide assistance in this area. In particular, the UNHCR is working with the Government of Iraq to end displacement, through a comprehensive plan which is due to become fully operational in 2012. The UK is also providing wider support to help create a more stable and prosperous Iraq, to which all Iraqis can return.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to visit Sri Lanka.

Alan Duncan: None at present.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials of his Department are currently stationed in Sri Lanka.

Alan Duncan: None.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Clean Coal Technology

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Government spent on research and development into clean coal technology in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what projection he has made of spend in each of the next three years.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Government expenditure on research and development into carbon abatement technologies for the 2010-11 financial year was as follows:
	
		
			  2010-11(£ million) 
			 CCS budget for R&D  
			 Total R&D 13.35 
			   
			 CCS budget for Demonstration  
			 Total Demo 40.075 
			   
			 RDD Total 53.425 
		
	
	Between 2011-12 and 2014-15, the Government and their partners expect to invest £125 million in CCS R&D.

Combined Heat and Power: Biofuels

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will define the 60 per cent. greenhouse gas emissions savings standard compared with fossil fuel which he proposes for use of biomass in CHP generators.

Gregory Barker: The Renewables Obligation Order 2009, as amended by the Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2011, sets out the 60% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings standard for the use of solid biomass in power or CHP generators. This states the standard as 79.2 grams carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 eq) for one mega joule of electricity generated using solid biomass.
	Subject to certain exceptions for microgenerators or the use of waste, CHP generators receiving support under the renewables obligation for electricity generated using solid biomass must report against this standard.

Energy: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of his Department's accuracy in forecasting forward carbon emission factors for grid electricity for the purposes of Standard Assessment Procedure calculations in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The carbon emission factors for grid electricity that underlie those used in SAP, are derived from the DECC energy and emissions model. The carbon intensity of the grid is one of a number of outputs from the model and has not been separately assessed directly for accuracy against past data. However, the factors that determine the grid intensity in the model are updated regularly, taking account of the latest actual data and the projection methodology is regularly reviewed to improve projection accuracy. This process includes calibration to actual past data for some inputs eg on thermal efficiencies of electricity generating plant and updates to other projections that feed into the model eg DECC fossil fuel price projections.
	DECC also undertakes analysis of the sensitivity of projections to key assumptions. A key driver or uncertainty in grid intensity projections is fossil fuel price projections. For DECC's latest projections, published in October 2012, the impact of uncertainty in fossil fuel price projections on carbon emission factors for grid electricity is approximately +/-10% (+/- 0.03 kgCO2e/KWh) for a 10 year ahead forecast.

Energy: Disconnections

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of (a) domestic customers and (b) non-domestic customers disconnected by their energy supplier in (i) 2011, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2008, (v) 2007, (vi) 2006 and (vii) 2005.

Charles Hendry: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about the disconnection of domestic gas and electricity supplies (in its social obligations annual reports). Ofgem does not publish data about the disconnection of non-domestic customers. The following tables show the number of domestic disconnections due to debt for electricity and gas supplies by each of the big six suppliers from 2005-10. Data for 2011 is not yet available.
	
		
			 Disconnection of electricity supplies 
			 Supplier 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 British Gas 2 1 0 3 17 2 
			 E.ON 186 233 476 337 1 1 
			 Edf Energy 289 313 494 1138 1588 1341 
			 Npower 10 380 861 295 163 253 
			 SSE 138 97 178 175 156 82 
			 Scottish Power 92 234 648 885 418 230 
			 Total 717 1258 2657 2833 2343 1909 
		
	
	
		
			 Disconnection of gas supplies 
			 Supplier 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 British Gas 3 2 0 8 37 0 
			 E.ON 830 644 928 445 0 0 
			 Edf Energy 451 526 878 975 474 234 
			 Npower 296 1637 1343 360 61 81 
			 SSE 666 593 728 335 98 66 
			 Scottish Power 259 454 848 799 1013 407 
			 Total 2505 3856 4725 2922 1683 788 
		
	
	Existing supply licence obligations and an industry code of practice provide protection for consumers in debt, for example suppliers must not disconnect a domestic premises during October to March if they know or have reason to believe that the customer is of pensionable age and lives alone, or only lives with other pensioners or children under the age of 18.

Energy: Meters

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to companies of smart meter roll-out.

Charles Hendry: The cost from rolling out smart meters to businesses will be borne by the energy industry, mostly energy suppliers, who will be responsible for funding the equipment as well as its installation, operation and maintenance.
	Any cost to energy suppliers will be recovered through bills, although we expect that cost savings to suppliers, such as not having to send an operative to read the meter, will also be passed on to SME consumers. After receiving a smart meter, companies will be able to use the information provided to reduce their energy consumption. DECC's August 2011 impact assessment estimates that once all cost and savings are taken into account, the average SME will see a bill saving (not a cost) of £143 by 2020, rising to over £200 per year by 2030.

Energy: Prices

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to protect consumers from rising global energy prices.

Charles Hendry: As a relatively small player in increasingly globalised energy markets the UK is largely a 'price taker'. However, the UK Government are working in the EU and internationally to ensure that the UK has access to the energy imports it needs through encouraging sufficient investment in global energy production and promoting reliable supplies to the UK.
	The Coalition Government are committed to helping UK consumers to control their energy bills and heat their homes affordably by ensuring effective energy markets and promoting energy efficiency. This winter we have been working with energy suppliers to deliver the warm home discount scheme; providing heating and insulation measures through Warm Front, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and the Community Energy Saving Programme; and developing our proposals for Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation. Additional support for energy bills is also provided through winter fuel payments and cold weather payments.
	Budget further built on this work by announcing: £200 million further investment in the Green Deal to support energy efficiency; £3 billion for the Green Investment Bank and £200 million for low carbon technology to help the UK decarbonise further; and, a package of oil and gas tax measures which will secure billions of pounds of additional investment in the UK continental shelf.

Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's policy that post-2020 targets for decarbonisation should be neutral with respect to different low carbon technologies on (a) the level of employment in the renewables sector, (b) the level of private investment in renewable energy, (c) the potential UK share of the export market in renewable energy technologies and (d) the potential for the UK to become a global leader in (i) offshore wind and (ii) marine energy; what discussions he has had on this issue with representatives of the renewable energy sector; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has regular discussions with representatives of the renewable energy sector, including on our objectives for 2050. All meetings between DECC Ministers and external organisations are published on a quarterly basis on the DECC website and are available for download at the following link:
	’http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx
	The UK is already the recognised global leader in both offshore wind and marine energy. In respect of offshore wind, the UK has the most installed capacity of any country in the world, the biggest pipeline of projects up to 2020 and also has a very high potential for deployment to 2030, as set out in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap. In respect of marine energy, wave and tidal stream technologies are still at an early stage of development, and larger scale deployment is anticipated in the period beyond 2020. Further details are set out in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap which can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/renewable-energy/2167-uk-renewable-energy-roadmap.pdf
	However, the Government envisage multiple low carbon technologies: renewables, nuclear and carbon capture and storage (CCS) all competing freely against each other in the years to come, driving down capital costs as the market forces innovation and greater efficiency. Any technology-specific target risks distorting the market and making investment in other low carbon technologies more difficult. It could also force the UK down a more expensive route to 2050 than necessary.
	The investment associated with our reforms to the electricity market (which involve stimulating over £100 billion of new investment in the electricity sector alone) have the potential to generate around 250,000 jobs in low carbon electricity to 2030.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met the EU Commission to discuss state aid rules in relation to support for energy intensive industries under the Carbon Price Floor.

Gregory Barker: Work on the measures to compensate electro-intensive industries for the indirect cost of the carbon price floor is led by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). No Ministers from DECC or BIS have met with the EU Commission to discuss this matter, but Government will engage with the Commission on this issue at the appropriate juncture.

Green Deal Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to take account of recommendations from the Hills Fuel Poverty review on the energy company obligation (ECO) in his response to consultations on Green Deal and ECO.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal and ECO consultation closed earlier this year, and the Government are now considering the responses. As part of this process we are also taking Professor Hills's findings into consideration. Announcements on the final design of the ECO will be made shortly.

Green Deal Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to publish a response to the report of the Consents barriers and retaliatory evictions working group.

Gregory Barker: The Minister for Housing and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), and I are currently considering the response. The Government will respond on consent issues, including those raised by the working group, as part of their overall response to the consultation on the Green Deal.

Manpower

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were employed in interim posts by (a) his Department and (b) a Non-Ministerial Department or arm’s length body controlled by his Department, through (i) Penna Consulting, (ii) Reed Personnel Services and (iii) Capita Resourcing Ltd (trading as Veredus) at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such people (A) had been in post for over a year and (B) worked full-time.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 23 March 2012
	To answer the question as tabled would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change has engaged staff on a temporary basis through two of the listed organisations between 1 April 2010 and 31 December 2011. The expenditure incurred with these companies is shown in the following table. It would incur disproportionate cost to establish how many individuals were employed through each agency and whether the person was in post for more than one year or engaged on a full time basis. To do so would involve retrieving all invoices and supporting evidence for payments to these organisations and making inquiries with the local business area that had procured the services of each individual as to the basis and duration of their employment.
	
		
			 £000 
			  April 2010 to March 2011 April 2011 to December 2011 
			 Reed Personnel 176 39 
			 Capita Resourcing T/A Veredus Executive Resourcing 21 9 
		
	
	The Committee on Climate Change and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority report no spend with the listed organisations between April 2010 and December 2011.
	The Civil Nuclear Police Authority spent £3,000 on interim posts with Capita Resourcing Ltd in 2010-11. The information requested with respect to this expenditure cannot be collated within the overall cost limit.

Power Stations: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether it is his policy to decarbonise the power sector by 2030.

Charles Hendry: The Carbon Plan, published in December 2011, set out the Government's view that deep cuts in emissions from the power sector will be required during the 2020s to keep the UK on a cost-effective path to its 2050 goal of an 80% reduction in emissions. The actions outlined in the plan, including the Government's reforms of the electricity market and work to address technology-specific barriers to deployment, will drive the huge increase in investment in low-carbon generation that will enable these cuts to be realised.
	The analysis within the plan considered a range of 2030 electricity generation decarbonisation scenarios consistent with meeting carbon budgets and an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. The Government are not setting an explicit decarbonisation goal for electricity generation in 2030 at this point, given the uncertainties involved in setting a target this far out, which include levels of electricity demand and cost-effectiveness of different technologies.
	DECCs Carbon Plan report can be found at the following weblink:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/tackling/carbon_plan/carbon plan.aspx

Renewable Energy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department are working on (a) community scale renewable energy, (b) electricity market reform and (c) new nuclear power.

Charles Hendry: The number of staff in the Department that work in the three areas mentioned in the question are as follows:
	Community-scale renewables forms a key part of two of the Department's large programmes. There are 71.5 staff based in the Office for Renewable Energy Deployment, and an additional team working on the renewable heat incentive. Within these wider programmes, a core team of four people focuses on community scale renewable energy, with additional assistance from specialists on science and engineering, economics and social research.
	There are currently 72 people working on electricity market reform and 23 on new nuclear power.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will include bioliquids in his scheme of assistance for domestic heating installations under the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Gregory Barker: Further to the Departmental Note laid in Parliament yesterday on support for renewable heat technologies in the domestic and non-domestic sector, we are considering whether to support bioliquids as part of our policy development for the support of renewable heat in households (the non-domestic scheme was launched in November 2011).
	In September 2012 we will consult on how we can support renewable heating for households in the longer term. We will set out a firmer timetable for delivering this support and we anticipate that this will be from summer 2013.

Renewables Obligation

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to including public acceptability in the sustainability criteria for renewables obligation certificates.

Gregory Barker: Sustainability criteria were introduced under the renewables obligation to ensure generators use biomass feedstocks that deliver significant greenhouse gas savings compared to fossil fuel and to restrict the sourcing of biomass from land with high carbon stock or high biodiversity value. Public acceptability is addressed through public consultation on planning applications and so can cover a wider remit than sustainability issues.

Renewables Obligation

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received on including public acceptability in the sustainability criteria for the Renewable Obligations Certificates in the same way as the criterion for PFI credits.

Charles Hendry: None.

Wind Power

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the British Medical Journal editorial of 8 March 2012 on health effects of the distance of wind turbines to houses and its lessons for his policies.

Charles Hendry: A number of independent peer reviewed research studies commissioned by DECC and its predecessor Departments have looked at the impacts of noise from wind farms and concluded that there is no evidence of direct health effects arising from infrasound or low frequency noise generated by wind turbines.
	The Government review new evidence carefully to assess whether these conclusions remain valid. In our assessment the British Medical Journal editorial article of 8 March 2012 on wind turbine noise does not change the conclusion that appropriately sited wind turbines do not have a direct effect on public health.
	On 23 June 2011, DECC published an independent report(1) on matters arising from the consideration of noise impacts when determining wind farm applications in England. This found that current guidance (ETSU -R- 97) is fit for purpose and recommended that further good practice guidance is developed to confirm, and where necessary, clarify the way it is implemented in practice in the planning process to ensure consistency. The Institute of Acoustics is producing this additional guidance.
	(1 )Analysis of How Noise Impacts are Considered in the Determination of Wind Farm Planning Applications by Hayes McKenzie Partnership—June 2011
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/wind/onshore/comms_planning/noise/noise.aspx

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to realise the Offshore Wind Developers' Forum target for UK-based suppliers to provide at least 50 per cent. of the supply chain for future wind farms.

Charles Hendry: Recent wind farms, such as Robin Rigg in the Solway Firth with a reported UK content of 32%, have shown a real improvement in the level of UK content compared to earlier developments.
	However, I still want to see a step change in the overall level of UK content. This is why I am pleased that the Offshore Wind Developers Forum (OWDF) has adopted its vision for the UK to be the centre of offshore wind technology and deployment, with a competitive supply chain in the UK, providing over 50% of the content of offshore wind farm projects.
	Future work of the OWDF will assess how the industry in the UK can make the most of this opportunity and compete effectively. Work is being currently undertaken for the OWDF, looking at the experience of supply chain development in the UK oil and gas sector and a methodology for measuring the level of UK content in future offshore wind farm projects is also being developed in order to benchmark progress.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of UK offshore wind development contracts have been awarded to firms based in the UK in each of the last three years.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold this information. However, E.ON recently published a study available at:
	http://eon-uk.com/downloads/E.ON_Robin_Rigg_UK_content_report_October_2011.pdf
	The study showed 32% of the content of the Robin Rigg wind farm, in the Solway Firth, was awarded to UK companies.
	Recent wind farms such as this one have shown a real improvement in the level of UK content compared to earlier developments. However I still want to see a step change in the overall level of UK content.
	This is why I am pleased that the Offshore Wind Developers Forum, through its vision, recognises the importance of maximising the UK benefit of developing offshore wind.
	Since April 2011 there have been investment announcements in the UK's offshore wind supply chain totalling over £1.6 billion, with the potential to create 5,700 new jobs; details are published on the DECC website.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

1 Carlton Gardens

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of maintaining his Department's Carlton Gardens property under each budget heading in each of the last two years.

William Hague: Under the terms of the lease for 1 Carlton Gardens the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is obliged to:
	“as often as necessary, well and substantially to repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair the demised premises”.
	The maintenance of the property is undertaken in accordance with the quadrennial inspections of listed buildings, statutory inspections for listed properties carried out every four years. The last quadrennial inspection was carried out in late 2009 and the higher maintenance costs in 2010-11 in large part reflect the recommendations of that inspection being put into practice. We always seek value for money in carrying out such work while also ensuring the preservation of what is a Grade 1 listed building.
	The maintenance costs for the last two full financial years have been as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Description 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Facilities management fixed price costs 15,456 15,642 
			 Routine maintenance 7,121 111,302 
			 Pest control 1,279 705 
			 Cleaning 391 1,076 
			 Projects (including structural and asbestos testing) 0 57,475 
			 Minor works (including lift and security works) 11,245.95 58,995 
			 Furniture 0 2,154 
			 Furniture repairs 6,986 0 
			 Total facilities management supplier costs 42,479 247,348 
			 Security maintenance 0 18,729 
			 FCO services 0 1,380 
			 Crown Estate (external redecorators) 0 0 
			 Other suppliers maintenance costs 0 20,109 
			 Total Maintenance Costs 57,936 283,100

1 Carlton Gardens

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on redecorating the Carlton Gardens property; and how much of that was paid by him.

William Hague: The maintenance of the property has been undertaken as a result of the quadrennial inspections of listed buildings, most recently in 2009, and in accordance with lease obligations. We are required under the terms of the lease for 1 Carlton Gardens to:
	“as often as necessary, well and substantially to repair, renew, uphold, clean and keep in repair the demised premises.”
	Since May 2010 costs of redecoration have been as follows:
	(i) £6,273 for the residential accommodation, of which I paid £2,218;
	(ii) £112,520 for the non-residential areas, of which I paid £1,289.

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

David Lidington: The overall policy lead for intellectual property is held by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills via the Intellectual Property Office. Many Government Departments have an interest in intellectual property, and the policy making process, including collective ministerial consideration of proposals, reflects those interests. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has an interest in strengthening the international intellectual property framework and works closely with the Intellectual Property Office in representing UK interests at the World Intellectual Property Organisation and other relevant international fora. The FCO also has an interest in strengthening national intellectual property frameworks in key countries and in helping UK business address the intellectual property challenges they face overseas and similarly works closely with the Intellectual Property Office in this work.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Iraq on women’s rights in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: Iraq has committed itself to improving the rights of women in its 2012 National Action Plan and we continue to offer our support to the Government of Iraq to achieve this goal. In 2011, the UK funded training to judges and judicial staff in gender concepts, and how to deal with cases involving gender-based violence. In the Kurdistan region, UK experts have been working with women’s shelters to improve facilities and the care they give residents, and with the Kurdistan Regional Government to develop and implement strategies for protecting women’s rights. We will continue this work in 2012, as well as raising our concerns on the situation for women in Iraq with the Government of Iraq where appropriate.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will appoint a human rights envoy to Iraq to submit reports to the Government and Parliament.

Alistair Burt: The promotion and defence of human rights around the world remains a key Foreign and Commonwealth Office priority. The appointment of the previous ‘human rights envoy’ was a specific appointment under the previous Government. There are no current plans to reinstate the position but Ministers raise human rights issues whenever necessary. We continue to support the Iraqi Government in improving human rights in Iraq, not least by providing training and expertise on a range of human rights issues including to the Iraqi Council of Representatives Human Rights Committee. We will continue to update Parliament on our work to improve the human rights situation in Iraq, including how we can continue to help the Government of Iraq.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Iraq regarding the use of (a) torture and (b) evidence obtained through torture in court cases in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned over allegations of torture and mistreatment in Iraqi prisons. We regularly raise these concerns with the Government of Iraq, particularly in relation to Iraq's application of the death penalty. In 2011 the UK contributed to a UN-led project aiming towards strengthening the credibility of human rights reports, particularly around allegations of torture and systematic abuse. The UK has also helped to establish police forensics laboratories in Baghdad, Basra and Erbil. This project has helped to encourage the reform of the Iraqi criminal justice system so that it develops an ethical, principled and comprehensive approach to criminal evidence, and moves away from over-reliance on confessional evidence.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iraq on the transparency and fairness of judicial processes in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: We continue to have serious concerns about the administration of justice and the rule of law in Iraq, including the issue of lengthy pre-trial detention. We have repeatedly called for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice to assume full control and authority over all detention facilities in Iraq, and for all those in detention to have access to legal counsel and the right to a fair trial. In 2011 we provided training on human rights for the police and judiciary in Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region, and contributed to a UN-led project to train human rights advocates in Kirkuk. We will continue to assist the Government of Iraq in improving the transparency and effectiveness of its judicial system.

Iraq

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the government of Iraq on the number of (a) executions carried out and (b) offences for which the death penalty may be imposed in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: We continue to raise our opposition to the death penalty with the Iraqi Government at the highest levels. The recent increase in the number of executions in Iraq is deeply worrying. Reports indicate that so far in 2012, 65 executions have been carried out in Iraq. This brings the total number of executions in Iraq since November to 94. This is a worrying trend, and our ambassador in Baghdad raised our concern with the Vice President of Iraq on 30 January and with the Chief Justice on 8 February. We continue to discuss with EU partners and the Government of Iraq ways we can support Iraq's commitment to reducing the number of crimes that carry the death penalty, as laid out in their National Action Plan on Human Rights.

Libya

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to protect the safety of UK citizens visiting Libya.

Alistair Burt: While the wellbeing of British nationals overseas is of paramount importance to us, the British embassy in Tripoli is not ultimately responsible for the safety and security of British nationals in Libya. This is the responsibility of the Libyan authorities and the individuals concerned.
	We keep our travel advice under constant review and would urge all British nationals travelling overseas to check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website regularly for the most up-to-date information. Our travel advice offers British travellers guidance and advice to help them make their own informed decisions about travelling to a particular country. We currently advise against all travel to parts of Libya and against all but essential travel to other parts of the country. At present, the UK embassy in Tripoli and office in Benghazi are only able to provide very limited consular assistance.

Mauritania

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Mauritania.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not held any direct discussions on the Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Mauritania.

Mauritania

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the provision of processing and landing facilities will be included in a new Fisheries Partnership Agreement with Mauritania.

Alistair Burt: The exact terms of the EU-Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement are subject to further discussion.

Syria

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking as part of the UK presidency of the UN Security Council to seek consensus for a resolution on humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria.

Alistair Burt: Further to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 486W, the UN Security Council on 21 March during the UK presidency issued a presidential statement which calls upon the Syrian Government to; ensure timely provision of humanitarian assistance to all areas and; commit to stop the fighting and achieve urgently an effective United Nations supervised cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties to protect civilians. The statement received the full and unanimous support of the Security Council for the work of Kofi Annan as joint UN-Arab League Envoy on Syria.
	The UN Security Council will consider what further steps are necessary in the light of reports from Mr Annan updating the Council on the progress of his mission. We do not consider a presidential statement to be a substitute for a Security Council Resolution and will continue to work with our international partners to push for further tough action on Syria.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many higher-rate taxpayers have more than 10 children in receipt of child benefit;
	(2)  if he will set out his calculation of the minimum number of children qualifying for child benefit that a higher-rate taxpayer would have to have before the total of child benefit received was greater than that person's payments of income tax; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer of 7 March 2012, Official Report, column 841, on child tax credit, if he will set out his calculation of the minimum number of children qualifying for child benefit that a higher-rate taxpayer would have to have before that person's own payments of income tax were exceeded by the child benefit received; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 March 2012
	In 2012-13, a higher rate taxpayer would have to have a minimum of 10 children to receive more in child benefit than they pay in income tax.
	The total number of child benefit claimants with upwards of 10 children is 365. The number of these that are in a family that contains a higher-rate taxpayer is not available.

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children have an earner with a gross taxable income in excess of (a) £50,000, (b) £60,000 and (c) £70,000.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 March 2012
	We estimate in the United Kingdom in 2009-10 there were:
	1.1 million benefit units with dependent children with at least one adult with non-zero earned income and a gross income from ail sources greater than £50,000.
	0.7 million benefit units with dependent children with at least one adult with non-zero earned income and a gross income from all sources greater than £60,000.
	0.5 million benefit units with dependent children with at least one adult with non-zero earned income and a gross income from all sources greater than £70,000.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey 2009-10
	Notes:
	1. The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a nationally representative sample of approximately 25,000 UK private households.
	2. Data for 2009-10, the latest year available, was collected between April 2009 and March 2010.
	3. The figures from the FRS are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the estimates to Government Office Region populations by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	4. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children. An adult is defined as those individuals aged 16 or over, unless defined as a dependent child. An individual may be defined as a child if aged 16-19 years old and they are not married nor in a civil partnership nor living with a partner; and living with parents; and in full-time non-advanced education or in unwaged government training.
	5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	6. Earned income includes income from wages and salaries and income from self-employment. A full list of income sources used to calculate gross income is within then FRS publication glossary found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/frs/2009_10/glossary.pdf

Child Benefit

Meg Munn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs of administering the new arrangements for child benefit.

David Gauke: The estimated administrative cost of administering the new arrangements for child benefit can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TUN) which was published on HMRC's website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of single-parent households that will lose child benefit (a) altogether and (b) partially as a result of his Budget proposals;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of households with an income in excess of (a) £60,000 and (b) £80,000 per annum which will retain child benefit in 2013-14.

David Gauke: As a result of the Budget 2012 announcement, 90% of households with children will keep some or all of their child benefit.
	HMRC estimates that in 2013-14 there will be 30,000 single parents who will lose all of their child benefit and 790,000 couples. A further 20,000 single parents, and 330,000 couples will lose a proportion of their child benefit.
	In 2013-14 there will be approximately 670,000 households with family income above £60,000 per year that will retain at least some of their child benefit. For those with a family income over £80,000 per year, this figure is 170,000 households.

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the administrative cost of recovering through the tax system child benefit paid to families with a person earning over £50,000 a year in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

David Gauke: The estimated administrative cost of recovering through the tax system child benefit paid to families with a person earning over £50,000 a year can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TUN) which was published on HMRC’s website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers who do not currently have to submit a tax return will be required to do so as a result of the Government's proposals in relation to child benefit.

David Gauke: The estimated number of additional taxpayers who will be required to submit a tax return can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TUN) which was published on HMRC's website:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk

Child Benefit

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward proposals to remove the privilege of confidentiality in relation to tax returns from recipients of child benefit with a partner earning in excess of £50,000 per annum.

David Gauke: There are no plans to bring forward proposals to remove confidentiality in relation to tax returns from recipients of child benefit with a partner earning in excess of £50,000 per annum.

CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria will be used to judge whether significant administrative savings are deliverable following the consultation on the Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency scheme; when the consultation will begin; and for what time period it will run.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
	Government's consultation on ambitious simplification of the CRC was launched on 27 March, and will run for 12 weeks. The consultation contains a number of proposals on how to reduce the administrative cost of the CRC scheme. The administrative savings we believe these proposals will deliver is set out in the impact assessment that accompanies the consultation document. The costs and savings data is based on a survey of participants' costs that KPMG conducted on our behalf last year, and the results of which we have also published alongside the consultation document. We are keen to receive views from stakeholders on both the proposals and our costs and savings estimates in the impact assessment. We expect responses to include comments on deliverability, which is normally the case with Government consultations.

Departmental Recruitment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on (a) recruitment services and (b) executive search agencies in each month since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Government introduced an external recruitment freeze in May 2010 across central Government Departments. In HM Treasury, ministerial approval is required to recruit either temporary or permanent staff where the skills are not available internally.
	Third party recruitment services spend, since May 2010, is shown in the following table. The information includes costs for advertising, candidate sourcing and assessment services. The figures are cash rather than accruals based and exclude VAT.
	
		
			  £ (excl. VAT) 
			 May 2010 27,117 
			 June 2010 20,144 
			 July 2010 35,936 
			 August 2010 925 
			 September 2010 — 
			 October 2010 4,249 
			 November 2010 11,015 
			 December 2010 8,572 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2011 23,021 
			 February 2011 1,550 
			 March 2011 3,441 
			 April 2011 7,000 
			 May 2011 11,850 
			 June 2011 5,758 
			 July 2011 25,714 
			 August 2011 2,040 
			 September 2011 9,600 
			 October 2011 6,680 
			 November 2011 10,358 
			 December 2011 39,322 
			 January 2012 31,686 
			 February 2012 3,439 
		
	
	Additionally, since May 2010, HM Treasury has also used an executive search agency, for which total spend to February 2012 is £40,318 (excluding VAT).
	A monthly breakdown of departmental expenditure over £25,000 (excluding VAT) can be found at:
	www.data.gov.uk
	Details of all contracts with a value of over £10,000 (excluding VAT) awarded since 1 January 2011 are published online at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

Employment Agencies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on recruitment agencies in each month since September 2011.

Chloe Smith: The Government introduced an external recruitment freeze in May 2010 across central Government Departments. In HM Treasury, ministerial approval is required to recruit either temporary or permanent staff where the skills are not available internally.
	HM Treasury spend with recruitment agencies, since September 2011, is shown in the following table. The figures include the recruitment of both temporary and permanent staff and the costs of advertising, candidate sourcing and assessment services. The figures also include the costs of temporary and interim staff that are recruited and paid via recruitment agencies.
	The information has been taken from HM Treasury's financial system and is third party spend. The figures are cash rather than accruals based and exclude VAT.
	
		
			  Total £(excluding VAT) 
			 September 2011 55,058 
			 October 2011 56,695 
			 November 2011 65,063 
			 December 2011 122,758 
			 January 2012 104,629 
			 February 2012 138,928 
		
	
	A monthly breakdown of departmental expenditure over £25,000 can be found at:
	www.data.gov.uk
	Details of all contracts with a value of over £10,000 that have been awarded since 1 January 2011 are published online at
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many road hauliers have had their licences withdrawn as a result of successful HM Revenue and Customs action to tackle alcohol duty fraud in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The licensing of road hauliers (including the consideration of revocation of licences) is the responsibility of the independent Traffic Commissioners.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have been able to refer cases to the Traffic Commissioners for consideration of revocation of a license since March 2011. No such referrals have yet been made although HMRC anticipate doing so in the coming year. This measure is one of several actions HMRC and the Border Force are able to use against operators who take part in alcohol fraud, including levying wrongdoing penalties, seizing alcohol and vehicles, and pursuing criminal prosecutions.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people resident in (a) Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (b) Medway who will no longer pay income tax consequent on the proposed increase in the personal allowance (i) from April 2012 and (ii) to £10,000 by April 2015.

David Gauke: The 2011 Budget announced a £630 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £8,105 in 2012-13 (£240 above indexation), with an equivalent reduction in the basic rate limit to leave the higher rate threshold unchanged.
	As a result of these measures the Government estimated that in 2012-13 260,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North-west and Merseyside 28 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 26 
			 East midlands 18 
			 West midlands 25 
			 East of England 25 
			 London 30 
			 South-east 32 
			 South-west 24 
			 Wales 10 
			 Scotland 21 
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			 Address abroad/unknown 3 
			 All 260 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2012-13 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2011 economic and fiscal outlook.
	The 2012 Budget announced a £1,100 cash increase in the personal allowance for under 65s to £9,205 in 2013-14 (£850 above indexation).
	As a result of this measure the Government estimate that in 2013-14 844,000 of the lowest income taxpayers will be removed from tax altogether. Information at Government office region is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Government office region Number taken out of income tax (thousand) 
			 North-east 34 
			 North-west and Merseyside 95 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 74 
			 East midlands 66 
			 West midlands 74 
			 East of England 75 
			 London 97 
			 South-east 104 
			 South-west 73 
			 Wales 42 
			 Scotland 73 
			 Northern Ireland 25 
			 Address abroad/unknown 13 
			 All 844 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook. Reliable estimates are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level, due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas and small sample sizes.
	The Government are committed to supporting lower and middle income earners by raising the personal allowance to £10,000, and removing the lowest income individuals out of income tax. Decisions on future changes in the personal allowance will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

Minimum Wage

Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff at HM Revenue and Customs work on the enforcement of the national minimum wage.

David Gauke: There are currently 152 staff in post working on the enforcement of the national minimum wage.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons his Department adopted the interim solution to provide real time information for PAYE; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC's original plans for the implementation of real time information (RTI) assumed that employers would use the BACs channel to send payment and tax data to HMRC. However, following consultation on RTI in 2011, and in response to concerns raised by employers, software providers and the banking industry, HMRC decided to adopt the interim solution.
	Particular concerns raised related to the time needed to implement a BACs filing channel and a new payment standard. By adopting the interim solution HMRC will ensure that RTI is ready in time to support the implementation of universal credit from October 2013.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) value and (b) extent of forestalling in advance of the coming into effect of his planned changes to stamp duty land tax.

Chloe Smith: The value and extent of forestalling are estimated to be negligible.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was foregone by HM Revenue and Customs due to multinational company tax write-offs in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 4.16 of his Department's publication, Tackling Tobacco Smuggling—building on our success, how many (a) charges and (b) prosecutions have been brought that have resulted in (i) seizure of goods, (ii) seizure of vehicles or vessels and possible non-restoration, (iii) seizure of cash under the proceeds of crime legislation, (iv) criminal prosecution with a custodial sentence of up to seven years, (v) confiscation of assets as part of the proceeds of crime legislation, (vi) assessment for the loss of duty, (vii) financial wrongdoing penalties of up to 100 per cent. of the duty due, (viii) civil action including winding up orders and bankruptcy, (ix) fines of up to £5000 for selling illicit tobacco not bearing the UK duty paid fiscal markings, (x) prohibition on the sale of tobacco products for up to six months and (xi) travel restrictions on repeat tobacco smugglers in the last five years.

Chloe Smith: It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of actions taken in respect of individual prosecutions for tobacco related offences in the way requested. To the extent that we are able to provide details of prosecutions and sanctions, this is detailed as follows.
	The way in which prosecutions and convictions are recorded has changed. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) now count a prosecution as the point at which the individual is charged and a conviction as post trial. However, information is available from 2008-09 onwards. The total number of prosecutions made by HMRC, and the number of convictions, for financial year 2008-09 onwards is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of prosecutions Number of convictions 
			 2010-11 218 133 
			 2009-10 262 233 
			 2008-09 261 226 
		
	
	In the last five years, the combined total of tobacco seized by HMRC and UKBA is detailed as follows.
	
		
			  Cigarettes seized (billion) Hand-rolling tobacco seized (tonnes) 
			 2010-11 1.75 390 
			 2009-10 1.7 400 
			 2008-09 1.8 258 
			 2007-08 1.8 194 
			 2006-07 1.9 228 
		
	
	The following table gives details of the number and value of confiscation orders granted in relation to tobacco prosecutions, where available.
	
		
			  Number or orders Total value (£ million) 
			 2010-11 46 4.7 
			 2009-10 61 9.0 
			 2008-09 n/a 2.4 
			 2007-08 n/a 6.78 
			 2006-07 n/a 3.18 
		
	
	Figures for the seizure of cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act cannot be disaggregated to show only those relating to tobacco. The total figures available are as follows:
	April 2010 to March 2011: 109 cases worth £2,342,303.00
	April 2011 to February 2012: 156 cases worth £4,632,791
	The issuing of assessments and wrongdoing penalties are not linked to prosecutions so it is not possible to say how many prosecutions led to assessments or penalties being issued.
	The other information requested is not centrally available and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

VAT

Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has conducted an impact assessment of the potential effects of a reduction in the rate of VAT to five per cent. for home repair, maintenance and improvement work.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 713W, and on 21 October 2011, Official Report, column 1201W, to the hon. Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson).

Welfare Tax Credits

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households in each region which will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes to those credits from April 2012.

David Gauke: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Estimates of the number of households in each Government office region that will no longer be entitled to tax credits following the introduction of changes to tax credits from April 2012 (in 2012-13, thousand) are as follows:
	
		
			 Region Households 
			 North-east 38.8 
			 North-west 97.7 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 76.1 
			 East midlands 68.7 
			 West midlands 79.2 
			 East 84.8 
			 London 72.6 
			 South-east 114.6 
			 South-west 78.8 
			 Northern Ireland 22.5 
			 Scotland 73.3 
			 Wales 43.5 
			 Foreign/unknown 2.3

HEALTH

Public Health Responsibility Deal

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the public health responsibility deal.

Andrew Lansley: One year into the Responsibility Deal, we are already seeing successes, including the elimination of artificial trans-fats, further reductions in salt in manufactured foods and over 8,000 high street outlets showing calorie information. Transparent monitoring and evaluation of the Deal are vital, and both the Department and our partners are committed to this. We will make up to £1 million available to fund an independent evaluation.

Private Health Care Sector

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the involvement of the private health care sector in the NHS.

Simon Burns: The private sector has always provided services to the national health service. The Department does not collect information regarding which providers are providing what NHS services. This will continue to be a matter for commissioners. We agree with the previous Government that the best providers should provide NHS services and that clinical commissioners and patients should decide who delivers them.

GP Waiting Times

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average waiting time for patients to see their GP in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: 68% of patients say they are seen within 15 minutes of their appointment time. 84% of patients say that they are able to get an appointment to see a general practitioner in their practice when they wanted or sooner where an appointment was secured.

Health Allocation Formula

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the health allocation formula.

Simon Burns: The independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation constantly reviews the formula and it is regularly updated with the most up-to-date data, such as population projections. The Committee is supporting the detailed development of allocations for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities for their future public health responsibilities.

NHS: Scotland

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions and on what dates he has met the Secretary of State for Scotland to discuss the potential effects of the Health and Social Care Bill on the NHS in Scotland.

Simon Burns: Department of Health and Scotland Office Ministers have not met to discuss the Health and Social Care Bill.
	Provisions which apply to Scotland have been discussed at official level between the Department of Health, the Scotland Office and the Scottish Government.

Asperger’s Syndrome

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects a universal and full service for the treatment of Asperger's syndrome to be available following diagnosis without a second condition.

Paul Burstow: We have seen significant progress in the development of a consistent pathway for the diagnosis and treatment of autism—including Asperger’s syndrome—since the publication of Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, the adult autism strategy, and its attendant statutory guidance.
	A consistent pathway for diagnosis is being created through the development and implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, clinical guidance for the diagnosis and management of autism, social care eligibility criteria, signposting newly diagnosed patients to advice and information, and lead professionals appointed in most local areas to develop diagnostic services.
	Further work will be done over the coming year to evaluate the progress made in putting in place diagnostic pathways and to identify good practice in developing local and flexible arrangements.
	Access to publicly funded care services is based on meeting the criteria set out in guidance known as “Prioritising Need”. This sets out four bands that reflect the risk to people's independence or other consequences if their need for services is not met. The four bands are low, moderate, substantial and critical. Each local authority decides, according to their own resources, which people they can support. If the needs of the individual do not meet the eligibility criteria set out by their local authority, they will not receive funded social care services. But people should be given information about what other support from charities or other community groups is available in their area.

Care Quality Commission

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission.

Simon Burns: The Department has recently undertaken a Performance and Capability Review of the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	The report of the review, which was published on 23 February 2012, recognised the progress that CQC has made in the past three years, and sets out recommendations to challenge CQC and support its continuing improvement by providing a clearer strategic direction, strengthening the CQC Board and developing and delivering the regulatory model.
	A copy of the report “Performance and Capability review: Care Quality Commission” has already been placed in the Library and the report can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/02/cqc-performance-review
	In addition, the Department continues to monitor CQCs financial and operational performance and risks at a general and strategic level through regular formal accountability meetings.

Care Quality Commission: Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts with external consultants were held by the Care Quality Commission in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; how many have been held in 2011-12 to date; for what services the contracts were made; and what the cost was of each.

Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England and has a key responsibility in the overall assurance of essential levels of safety and quality of health and adult social care services.
	The CQC has provided the following information.
	The following tables show the total CQC spend on consultants.
	
		
			 2008-09 financial year 
			 Company Description £000 
			 PWC Programme and Project Management Support to CQC Registration 59 
			 PWC Programme and Project Management Support to CQC Registration 74 
			 PWC Programme and Project Management Support to CQC Registration 80 
			 PWC Fees CQC Options Appraisal 58 
			 PA Consulting Consultancy work—project management support 88 
			 PA Consulting Consultancy work—project management support 121 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 financial year 
			 Consultancy costs—2009-10 
			 Supplier Description £000 
			 Badenoch and Clark Procurement Services 148 
			 Beamans Management Consultants CQC Job Evaluation Consultancy Services 27 
			 CapGemini Scenario Testing Events to test our approach to registration 184 
		
	
	
		
			 Computacenter UK Limited January Registration release Principal Consultant 19 
			 Creative Research Ltd Creative Research—Focus Group 30 
			 CSC Computer Science Ltd Annual Health Check Project management time 11 
			 Ernst and Young LLP Development of Registration fees scheme across provider markets 473 
			 Hays Specialist Recruitment Contractors 14 
			 Institute of Customer Services Council membership 23 
			 KJT Consultancy Limited Consultancy work re Annual Performance Assessment for Wirral 21 
			 McKinsey and Company Inc Value for Money assessment of regulation 129 
			 Michael Page Michael Page Contract Staff 9 
			 MM Teleformance Ltd Teleperformance Data Validation Project 1(st) Payment 108 
			 OPM Consultancy fee for Healthcare Associated Infection evaluation report 60 
			 OPM Consultancy work—analysing responses to CQCs Consultation on Assessment of Quality 31 
			 OPM Fieldwork/Research for impact of the economic downturn 45 
			 OPM Impact of Economic Downturn study 14 
			 PA Consulting Clinical engagement on Quality and Risk Profile 97 
			 PA Consulting Consultancy work—project management support 29 
			 PA Consulting Consultants to support Registration Programme and Project Support Office 582 
			 PA Consulting Continued Support for Operational Readiness 76 
			 PA Consulting Contract extension for two consultants working on the Adult Social Care project—11.5 days 20 
			 PA Consulting Corporate performance development—consultancy by PA Consulting 38 
			 PA Consulting Customer Service Strategy implementation 25 
			 PA Consulting Field Force Model implementation 442 
			 PA Consulting Field force Development Work 44 
			 PA Consulting Further development of Field Force Model 120 
			 PA Consulting Information and Communications Technology Strategy 312 
			 PA Consulting Operational Readiness Project Management support 83 
			 PA Consulting PA Consulting—Devt of Reg. Criteria Phase 1 50 
			 PA Consulting Proof of Concept Support 34 
			 PA Consulting Registration Programme Planner—Operational Readiness 16 
			 PA Consulting Registration Programme Planner—Registration Programme 16 
			 PA Consulting Support from PA Consulting (CQC Registration Benefits) 48 
			 PA Consulting Additional Planning Support for Operational Readiness 40 
			 Parity Solutions Ltd Project Management support for CQC Information and Communications Technology infrastructure 98 
			 Perioperative Consulting Ltd Fees 13 
			 PNA Consultancy Ltd Associate Assessor 14 
			 PWC Consultants to support the Registration Programme and Project Support Office 242 
		
	
	
		
			 PWC Consultation work on the Strategic Outline Case and Outline Business Case for the registration program 37 
			 PWC Fees in respect of CQC Options Appraisal 57 
			 PWC Registration Programme Support Office—Professional Services 904 
			 Sapient Sapient Consultancy 3 
			 SCC Business Process Definition and User Acceptance Testing Management 84 
			 SCC E-learning and workshop programme Build 245 
			 SCC Project Management, Registration Programme User Acceptance Testing and Training. 62 
			 SCC Training and Workshop Programme Rollout 182 
			 Serco Shared Service Centre Part of Framework Agreement—Ambulance and Dentists 20 
			 Social Care Institute for Excellence Resource for Carers and circles of support (Learning Disabilities) 9 
			 Specialist Computer Centres plc (SCC) Specialist Designers and Admin Support Registration phases lb, c 26 
			 The King's Fund Development of CQC Regulatory Model 130 
			 Tribal Consulting Registration Programme Management—Consultant 172 
			 Tribal Consulting To provide consultancy work on—Infection Prevention and Control at the Health and Social Care Inter 56 
			 Tribal Consulting Registration Programme Management—Consultant 180 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 financial year 
			 Consultancy costs—2010-11 
			 Supplier Description £000 
			 Amtec Consulting Consortium Programme and Project Manager 135 
			 Beamans Management Consulting CQC Job Evaluation Consultancy Services 106 
			 Ernst and Young Development of Registration fees scheme across provider markets 134 
			 Ernst and Young Programme Management and Planning Support for the Project Support Office and Operations Readiness 104 
			 Ernst and Young Data Management Support under the Framework Agreement 4 
			 Ernst and Young Framework Agreement assignment to support Quality Assurance Process for the Registration Program 92 
			 Ernst and Young Project Support Office Support/Operational Readiness Planning and Data Managing Support 127 
			 PA Consulting Support for Proof of Concept Content Development 52 
			 PA Consulting Support for Proof of Concept and Developing Scenarios 37 
			 PA Consulting Proof of Concept Content Development/Framework Agreement 55 
			 PA Consulting Continued Planning Support for Operational Readiness 68 
			 PA Consulting i Programme Management and Planning Support for Operational Readiness under the framework agreement 109 
			 PA Consulting Framework Agreement planning support for operational readiness 75 
			 PA Consulting Programme and project Management Support to the Registration Programme Support Office 495 
			 PA Consulting Consultancy Support 74 
		
	
	
		
			 PWC Contract for Project Support Officers 165 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 financial year (to end of February 2012) 
			 Consultancy costs—2011-12 
			 Supplier Description £000 
			 PA Consulting Provision of Information Management and Information Management Technology services to support frontline operations 51

Cholesterol

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England have high cholesterol; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Using data from the Health Survey for England (2008) and population statistics it is estimated that approximately 12 million men and 13.2 million women in England have raised cholesterol levels (levels greater than 5 millimoles per litre). Average cholesterol levels were 5.2 millimoles per litre for men and were 5.4 millimoles per litre for women.

Contraceptives

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated expenditure was on community contraceptive services for women (a) aged under 20 years and (b) aged 20 years and over in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust area in (A) 2010, (B) 2011 and (C) the latest period for which figures are available in 2012.

Anne Milton: Expenditure on community contraceptive services for women, and for individual age groups, is not collected centrally. The Department currently makes recurrent revenue allocations direct to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of a national weighted capitation formula which is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources. PCT recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by policy or service area. Once allocated, it is for PCTs to commission the services they require to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of both local and national priorities.

Crosby-Textor

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) senior officials in his Department have met employees of Crosby-Textor since May 2010.

Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of September 2011 can be found at:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/dept-of-health-ministers-meetings-2010-onwards
	Data for October to December 2011 will be published in the summer.
	Information on whether senior officials have met with employees of Crosby-Textor since May 2010 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Doctors: Training

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the application process for those applying for entry to the Foundation Programme in August 2012;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all graduates of medical schools are able to gain a place on the 2012 Foundation Programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the UK Foundation Programme Office on the response to oversubscription of the 2012 Foundation Programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the UK Foundation Programme Office on plans for responding to oversubscription of the Foundation Programme in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: To date, all eligible applicants have successfully secured a place on the Foundation Programme.
	However, this is an issue that is continually monitored by the four United Kingdom Health Departments, in liaison with the UK Foundation Programme office. Similarly, it is also considered by the Medical Programme Board of Medical Education England which includes representation from all the relevant stakeholders. To this end, the Medical Programme Board has recently established a working group specifically to consider potential pressures on future Foundation Programme applications.
	For programmes starting in August 2012, 7,089 secured a place following the first recruitment round, leaving 81 applicants on a reserve list. We are confident these will all ultimately be placed as other applicants withdraw or fail their final examinations. (There was a larger reserve list in 2011 and all applicants were placed).
	The numbers for the next three years cannot be known at this stage. However, if there is oversubscription the existing processes for managing this through the reserve list will be invoked.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to address the misdiagnosis of epilepsy and non-epileptic seizure disorder.

Paul Burstow: Epilepsy can be difficult to diagnose because there are many other conditions that can cause seizures. There are no specific tests for epilepsy, however in some cases tests can highlight an underlying medical condition which may be causing the seizures.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on epilepsy recommends a review by an epilepsy specialist within two weeks of presentation.

General Practitioners

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 556W, on clinical commissioning groups, if he will take steps to prevent the NHS Commissioning Board undertaking activities before it has been established.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will be established later this year, and only then will it be able to carry any of the functions set out in the Health and Social Care Bill.
	The NHS Commissioning Board Authority was established as a special health authority on 31 October 2011, to prepare for the establishment of the NHS Commissioning Board. Its functions are restricted to those set out in the relevant establishment legislation, including directions made by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
	These can be found at the following links:
	www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2237/made
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_130917
	The Department will hold the authority to account against the functions and objectives it has been given.

General Practitioners

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 556W, on clinical commissioning groups, 
	(1)  whether the interpretation of the Competition Act 1998 referred to in the answers included the possibility that a clinical commissioning group might count as an association of undertakings; and if he will make a further statement;
	(2)  if he will consult the European Commission about the application of European competition law to the decisions of clinical commissioning groups; and if he will make a further statement;
	(3)  what discussions his Department has had with the NHS Commissioning Board Special Health Authority about the application of European competition law to the decisions of clinical commissioning groups; and if he will make a further statement.

Simon Burns: The Department's view is that competition law will not apply to clinical commissioning groups in their roles as commissioners of services because the case law is clear that where public bodies carry out an activity of an exclusively social nature, neither that activity, nor the bodies' purchase of goods or services for the purpose of that activity, will generally be treated as an economic activity. A clinical commissioning group will be a statutory body, not an association of undertakings.
	I understand departmental officials have briefed individuals within the NHS Commissioning Board Authority regarding the Government's position. We have no plans to consult the European Commission.

General Practitioners: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of expenditure by primary care trusts on management consultants contracted to support shadow clinical commissioning groups in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 to date.

Simon Burns: Information relating to the management consultancy spend by primary care trusts on supporting emerging clinical commissioning groups is not held by the Department.

General Practitioners: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to emerging clinical commissioning groups on the acceptance of support from management consultancy firms on a pro bono or commercial basis.

Simon Burns: No guidance has been given by the Department. Primary care trusts (PCTs) will remain statutorily responsible and accountable for commissioning NHS services in 2012-13. Strategic health authority and PCT clusters are able to accept external expertise (from either the public, voluntary or private sectors) to help clinical commissioning groups develop the range of skills, knowledge and working arrangements needed to commission health services effectively in the future.

Health Visitors: Crimes of Violence

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physical assaults on health visitors were recorded in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available in 2012.

Simon Burns: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff in England is collated annually. Information is available for each NHS body but not broken down by professional occupation. Information on the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff and criminal sanctions following assaults, broken down by NHS body, for the year 2009-10 and 2010-11 is in the “Tables showing the number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2009-10, broken down by NHS trust/PCT” and “Tables showing the number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2010-11, broken down by NHS trust/PCT” which have already been placed in the Library.
	The NHS staff survey provides information from staff in all trusts and social enterprises who have experienced violence. The following table shows the percentage of staff responding to the survey who reported that they had experienced physical violence from patients, relatives or members of the public.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  National All nursing staff Health visitors 
			 2010 7.1 11.8 1.2 
			 2011 6.7 11.0 1.2

Health: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by his Department's arm's length bodies on external consultants in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: External consultancy services expenditure for the Department's arm's length bodies and executive agency for the last five closed financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Executive non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and special health authorities (1,2,3) 
			  £000 
			 2010-11 8,828 
			 2009-10 41,732 
			 2008-09 11,324 
			 2007-08 8,183 
			 2006-07 8,437 
			 Notes: 1. Figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 for executive non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and special health authorities are on a different basis to those for earlier years and are therefore not directly comparable. 2. Figures included for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are for ‘Professional and administrative fees’. This category includes litigation and other legal costs as well as expenditure on consultancy services, which cannot be separately identified. 3.Figures included for the Care Quality Commission do not include external legal advice. It is not possible to identify how much of this expenditure falls within the definition of “consultancy services”.

Health: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on expenditure on external consultants by (a) his Department, (b) its arm’s length bodies and (c) Connecting for Health.

Simon Burns: Department of Health Ministers have not met the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), in the last 12 months to specifically discuss management consultancy expenditure.
	The Department submits information on approved consultancy expenditure by the Department and its arm’s length bodies (ALBs) to the Cabinet Office every month using the Cabinet Office consultancy spend tracker. Departmental officials and Cabinet Office officials hold regular discussions concerning consultancy expenditure. As part of the Cabinet Office’s efficiency controls, there is an ongoing freeze on all Department and ALB management consultancy spend unless it is deemed an operational necessity. All expenditure over £20,000 requires approval by the Department’s director of finance.

Herbal Medicine: EU Law

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency implements the traditional herbal medicinal products directive in a manner that does not impose unnecessary burdens on the manufacturers of such products.

Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to effective, proportionate implementation of the European directive on traditional herbal medicines which can best ensure its benefits for consumers and for companies compliant with the legislation. The classification of products as medicines is made on a case-by-case basis by the MHRA under the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc) Regulations 1994 as amended. The MHRA document Guidance Note 8 “A guide to what is a medicinal product” is currently being revised to clarify the MHRA’s position on the European directive on traditional herbal medicines and this will be discussed with industry trade associations in April.

Hospital Beds

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many older people were subject to delayed discharge from hospital as a result of malnutrition in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available in 2012.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally. Delayed discharges occur when a patient is medically fit to be transferred from hospital, but is still occupying an acute bed because of a lack of capacity in the wider system. If a patient is suffering from malnutrition and is not medically fit, they would not be ready for discharge from hospital and therefore could not be counted as delayed.

Maternity Services: Greater London

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in compensation in respect of maternity cases by Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in each of the last five years; and how many claims are outstanding.

Anne Milton: The following table shows the amount of damages paid in respect of obstetrics claims against Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in the years 2006 to 2011.
	
		
			  Total damages paid (1)  obstetrics (£) 
			 2010-11 3,814,530 
			 2009-10 2,969,524 
			 2008-09 4,161,385 
			 2007-08 413,988 
			 2006-07 509,276 
			 (1) Damages paid in a given year may be from claims settled in that year, payments made on unsettled claims, (e.g. an interim payment), or claims settled in earlier years that have ongoing annual payments. Source: National Health Service Litigation Authority website March 2012 
		
	
	The number of claims relating to obstetrics that have not been settled at Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust is 28.

Monitor: Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts with external consultants were held by Monitor in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; how many have been held in 2011-12 to date; for what services the contracts were made; and what the cost was of each.

Simon Burns: The following table sets out information held in central records about contracts held by Monitor since 2008, together with a description and cost, including VAT.
	
		
			  Description of work Cost (£) 
			 2008-09 Property Appraisal and Lease Negotiations 47,250.00 
			 2008-09 Private Patient Income (PPI) Consultation Exercise 229,843.87 
			 2008-09 Adviser to Monitor for Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (FT) 9,011.50 
			 2008-09 Coaching Culture Project 118,381.25 
			 2008-09 Support Structure exercise 131,215.00 
			 2008-09 South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust Forensic Investigation 5,750.00 
			 2008-09 Accounting support for 2009-10 FT IFRS-based FReM 7,050.00 
			 2008-09 Accounting support for 2008-09 FT FReM 3,525.00 
			 2008-09 Accounting support for 2007-08 FT consolidated accounts 9,987.50 
			 2008-09 Accounting support of FTs consolidation returns 2,300.00 
			 2008-09 Advice for Balance Sheet elements of FTCs to comply with iFReM 16,100.00 
			 2008-09 3Es (VFM) Study 99,875.00 
			 2008-09 Developing quality reports 323,125.00 
			 2008-09 Board Quality 287,500.00 
			 2008-09 Patient experience 352,500.00 
			 2008-09 Anti-competitive Conduct Project (Restrictive Agreements) 34,390.00 
			 2009-10 Examining the relationship between cost and quality in acute care in hospitals in England—Literature review 9,257.50 
			 2009-10 Compliance Efficiency Review 11,500.00 
			 2009-10 Legal Advice on CITC IT Support and Business Management Contract 11,226.01 
			 2009-10 Comparators Project 78,997.60 
			 2009-10 Quality Governance Pilot 104,622.00 
			 2009-10 Review of Monitor's IFRS quarterly monitoring template 12,075.00 
			 2009-10 FTC Update Phase 2 16,675.00 
			 2009-10 Consolidation support 2009-10 9,775.00 
			 2009-10 NED Development Programme for FTs 60,000.00 
			 2009-10 PPI Cap review 11,750.00 
			 2009-10 Review of Basildon and Thurrock NHS FT 4,230.00 
			 2009-10 FT Predictive Model 381,875.00 
			 2009-10 Clinical governance consultancy 506,000.00 
			 2010-11 Work on FT segmentation, pipeline, and operational effectiveness project 493,500.00 
			 2010-11 Quality Governance Pilot Assessment 104,622.00 
			 2010-11 Support for the transition to and development of the new economic regulator for health and adult social care 64,625.00 
			 2010-11 Technical Assistance on Quality Governance 23,206.25 
			 2010-11 Quality Reports assurance advice 26,022.73 
			 2010-11 Clinical governance input into assessment 16,810.73 
			 2010-11 Conduct a review of the NHS foundation trust sector to understand performance to date and start to track this against key metrics 33,419.83 
			 2011-12 Advice on continuity of service 61,733.00 
			 2011-12 Advice on licensing 115,200.00 
			 2011-12 Organisational transformation of Monitor—Programme and Project Management support 259,938.00 
			 2011-12 Strategic Programme Management Office establishment and build programme mobilisation 572,673.60 
			 2011-12 Designing the top level structure of Monitor 420,000.00 
			 2011-12 Clinical governance input into assessment 4,800.00 
			 2011-12 Clinical governance input into assessment 1,800.00 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 Clinical governance input into assessment 2,880.00 
			 2011-12 Clinical governance input into assessment 1,800.00 
			 2011-12 Review of assessment 58,800.00 
			 2011-12 Review of assessment 180,000.00 
			 2011-12 Evaluation of the English NHS Reimbursement System 360,000.00 
			 2011-12 Local adjustments research project (Subsidies project) 186,560.00 
			 2011-12 Quality metrics review for Annual Plan Process 36,000.00 
			 2011-12 Integrated healthcare research 207,600.00 
			 2011-12 Costing and sampling 170,000.00 
			 2011-12 Stakeholder Engagement and Licensing Implementation Support 240,000.00 
			 2011-12 NHS Provider Risk Pool II 36,000.00 
			 2011-12 Clarify legal implications of staffing Future Organisation with people from Monitor, CCP and PbR 34,800.00 
			 2011-12 License Consultation Support Documentation Work Package 36,000.00 
			 2011-12 Foundation Trust Oversight Framework 595,200.00

Monitor: McKinsey and Company

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work was carried out by McKinsey under contracts held by Monitor in 2011-12; and what the duration is of those contracts.

Simon Burns: The following table sets out information on the work carried out by McKinsey and Company for Monitor in 2011-12 to the end of January 2012, including the duration of those contracts.
	
		
			 Description of work Duration of contract 
			 Annual Plan Review Stage 1—high level 2 weeks 
			 Annual Plan Review Stage 2—in depth reviews 2 months 
			 Review of Monitor's overall assessment 3 months 
			 Design the organisational structure of Monitor 1 month

Muscular Dystrophy: East Midlands

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the NHS East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group has made in developing neuromuscular services in the region; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The East Midlands Specialised Commissioning Group has established a Neuromuscular Network Group to advise on commissioning of neuromuscular services. From April this year, the Yorkshire and The Humber Specialised Commissioning Group will commission specialised neuromuscular services for the people who live in the hon. Member's constituency of Bassetlaw.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has powers to refuse the merger of NHS foundation trusts covering two adjacent counties.

Simon Burns: Under the National Health Service Act 2006, the Secretary of State for Health does not have powers to stop two NHS foundation trusts merging. This position would remain unchanged following Royal Assent of the Health and Social Care Bill. The Bill will enable foundation trusts to make their own decisions about organisational change including mergers, subject to strengthened accountability arrangements that require governors to approve decisions.
	Foundation trusts will continue to be under a duty of public involvement on matters involving the planning of, and changes to, service provision. Before a merger between two foundation trusts could proceed, the trusts would also need to satisfy NHS commissioners and Monitor of the impact on the continuity of essential services to NHS patients. It could also be reviewed by the Office of Fair Trading whose role is to protect consumers and, in this case, patients’ interests. In all cases, the Care Quality Commission would continue to safeguard appropriate standards of quality and safety.

NHS: Advocacy

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the capacity of advocacy organisations to absorb the administrative costs associated with achieving the quality performance mark;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the commissioning processes of local authorities for advocacy services for people with learning disabilities are Compact compliant (a) nationally and (b) in Birmingham;
	(3)  what his policy is on requiring local authorities to include the administrative cost of third sector advocacy organisations achieving the quality performance mark in assessments of full cost recovery required for Compact compliance purposes when commissioning.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally. The vast majority of advocacy and support is not a legal or statutory requirement, but commissioned on a discretionary basis by local authorities and primary care trusts.
	The Department supported and funded the Advocacy Quality Mark as a social care sector led initiative to promote quality in the advocacy sector. It is an initiative which encourages the advocacy sector to reflect on what quality means to them and their clients in a cost effective manner. The Department provided funding for organisations providing Independent Mental Capacity Advocate services for people who lack the capacity to make certain important decisions, to assist them in attaining the Quality Mark. Many other advocacy organisations have chosen to apply for the Quality Mark to demonstrate that their services are high quality. Advocacy organisations decide themselves whether they wish to apply for the Quality Mark; these are locally made decisions.
	The Department is committed to the principles of the Compact and pursues a “compact compliant” way of working in its business with civil society organisations. The Department strongly supports local authorities signing up to local compact agreements that will ensure commissioning processes for voluntary sector advocacy services are Compact compliant. The Department promotes the principles of full cost recovery and as such, takes the view that administrative costs associated with achieving the Quality Mark should be included in the assessment of full cost recovery. However, local Compact agreements are the responsibility of local authorities, together with other local partners, including local voluntary sector advocacy services.

NHS: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by NHS bodies on external management consultants in 2011-12 to date.

Simon Burns: The quarter three of 2011-12, year to date expenditure on consultancy services in national health service trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities totalled £179.3 million(1).
	(1) The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided are only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.

NHS: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to commission external consultants to carry out independent assessments of the boards of NHS trusts.

Simon Burns: A Board Governance Assurance Framework for aspirant foundation trusts has been developed to assist trust boards through a combination of self and independent assessment processes to ensure that they are appropriately skilled and prepared to achieve foundation trust status.
	The assurance framework is structured into two key stages. The first stage is the Board Governance Memorandum—a mandatory process where boards self-assess their current capacity and capability, which is supported by appropriate evidence and then externally validated by an independent supplier. The second stage is the development modules where boards can opt to gain a deeper level of assurance into the specific areas of quality governance, organisational strategy and financial governance.

NHS: Management Consultants

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by NHS bodies on external consultants in 2010-11.

Simon Burns: The national health service spent £291,047,000 in financial year 2010-11 on consultancy services.
	Note:
	This includes primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and NHS trusts. The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided is only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.
	Source:
	NHS audited summarisation schedules (which does not include information on NHS spend with individual consultancy firms).

NHS: Standards

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 192W, on NHS: standards, how many people waited longer than 18 weeks for a consultation in secondary services in January 2012.

Simon Burns: 25,496 or 2.9% of patients who started non-admitted treatment in January 2012 had waited more than 18 weeks from referral. The median time waited for patients who started non-admitted treatment in January 2012 was 4.4 weeks, and at the end of January, the number of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks to start treatment was the lowest level since referral to treatment data were first published in 2007.

NHS: Theft

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many thefts from NHS premises were recorded in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) the latest period for which figures are available in 2012.

Simon Burns: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pancreatic Cancer: Health Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to improve pancreatic cancer survival rates;
	(2)  when he last made an assessment of the standards of care and treatment available to pancreatic cancer patients;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of geographical variations in care for cancer patients;
	(4)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that pancreatic cancer patients are (a) more involved in their care and (b) supported by clinical nurse specialists.

Paul Burstow: We are committed to improving survival rates for all cancer patients, including those with pancreatic cancer. We know that late presentation and patients having a more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis are two of the main reasons for variation in cancer survival outcomes. This is why we have prioritised achieving earlier diagnosis in “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011. The Strategy, backed by more than £750 million over the spending review period, sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and treatment.
	We know that there are regional variations in the treatment, care and support provided to cancer patients in England. To support the national health service to tackle this, we are providing data to providers and commissioners that allow them to benchmark their services and outcomes against one another and to identify where improvements need to be made. Through the National Cancer Intelligence Network, we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic.
	In August 2011, the Department and the National Cancer Action Team published the “Radiotherapy Dataset First Annual Report” to help tackle unwarranted variation in radiotherapy services and from April 2012 we are mandating the collection of chemotherapy data to achieve the same. In “Improving Outcomes a Strategy for Cancer: First Annual Report”, published on 13 December 2011, we have said that continuing to provide the NHS with benchmarked data on variations in services and outcomes as a lever for improvements is a priority for 2012.
	“Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”, published in. 2001, sets out recommendations on the treatment, management and care of patients with upper, gastro-intestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Our Cancer Outcomes Strategy makes it clear that the Improving Outcomes in Cancer guidance, now the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services. Through National Cancer Peer Review, a national quality assurance programme, NHS cancer services are. part of a rolling programme of assessment against a nationally agreed set of quality measures based on the NICE Improving Outcomes in Cancer guidance.
	To assess cancer patients' experience of care, during the first three months of 2010 the Department undertook a national survey of cancer care. “The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, is the largest England-wide survey of cancer patients' experience of care with over 67,000 respondents from 158 trusts. Patients with pancreatic cancer are included within the results for the 3,577 patients with upper gastro-intestinal (upper GI) cancers who participated in the survey. In the following table are the survey responses most relevant to the information requested. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Question Upper GI All cancers 
			 Completely understood explanation of what was wrong with them 73 74 
			 Given the right amount of information about condition and treatment 87 88 
			 Given a choice of different cancer treatments 84 83 
			 Definitely involved in decisions about choice of cancer treatment 71 72 
			 Given the name of a Cancer Nurse Specialist (CNS) 90 84 
			 Found it easy to contact CNS (of those given a CNS) 75 75 
			 CNS definitely listened carefully 92 91 
			 CNS gave understandable answers to questions all or most of the time 87 91 
			 Length of time spent with CNS was about right 95 95 
		
	
	To incentivise quality improvements in patient treatment, care and experience, all participating trusts were sent a bespoke report showing their own results. Each report displayed the results for each question in the survey benchmarked against other trusts. These findings are helping the NHS to identify areas in cancer care that need improvement locally and develop services that are more responsive to patients' needs. We are carrying out a survey for 2011 that will show where improvements have been made and where further action is needed.
	To support the NHS to develop the CNS workforce, the Cancer Outcomes Strategy sets out our intention to build the evidence base for the benefits and costs savings that CNSs can offer. This follows an independent report we published in December 2010 that showed that, in many scenarios, the costs of additional support roles are likely to be outweighed by the savings that can be achieved. A series of case studies have now been produced to align with the Department's Nursing Career Framework, and the cancer version of the framework will be used to attract new nurses into oncology and aid the career development of the existing CNS workforce.

Prostate Cancer

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide an update on the status of the prostate cancer drug Abiraterone.

Paul Burstow: Abiraterone (Zytiga) is licensed for the treatment of metastatic prostrate cancer and there are no national restrictions on its prescribing in the national health service.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising abiraterone for two separate indications. NICE is an independent body and has not yet issued final guidance to the national health service on either indication.
	In the absence of final positive NICE technology appraisal guidance, primary care trusts (PCTs) are required to take funding decisions locally based on an assessment of the available evidence and to have processes in place to consider individual funding requests for drugs. Where a cancer drug is not routinely funded by a PCT, patients may be able to access it through the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Royal Sussex County Hospital

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on proposed investment in and redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital; whether formal agreement of the funding required for this project will be secured by the end of this financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Brighton and Hove city council granted full planning permission for the Royal Sussex County Hospital development project (known as the “3Ts”) at the end of January 2012, a condition of approval for the scheme's outline business case (OBC), which considers the overall value for money, affordability, strategic fit and commercial issues involved.
	Ministers understand that the OBC will now be considered by the Board of South of England Strategic Health Authority at the end of March 2012. Subject to approval the Department and Treasury will then need to consider the OBC and also give their decision, a process which will take at least two months. The trust then needs to complete a Full business case (FBC) which it is anticipating will be complete this autumn, and is hoping it can submit a final FBC to the Department and Treasury for consideration in early 2013. It is only at this point that the public capital funding required for the scheme can be confirmed.

Tuberculosis

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of progress in tackling tuberculosis in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Provisional data for 2011 show a 7.1% increase in the number of cases in England (8,418), compared to the provisional figures for 2010 (7,862), although the incidence is lower than in 2009 (8,423). This increase in 2011 followed a 6.7% decrease last year for provisional 2010 data compared to provisional 2009 data.
	The Health Protection Agency advise that the provisional data for 2011 should be interpreted with caution as numbers are subject to change due to late notifications and de-notifications of cases. It is therefore too early to determine whether or not this is a return to the upward trend of cases seen in the past two decades, or if it is fluctuation of case numbers over time. Final data for 2011 will be published later this year with further analysis.
	However, these data underline the need for national health service organisations and their partners to sustain efforts to improve the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
	Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he gave to the need for (a) service co-location and (b) accountability when taking the decision that tuberculosis services should be commissioned at the local rather than the sub-national level under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Anne Milton: The Health and Social Care Bill provides for clinical commissioning groups to work collaboratively on commissioning, for example by entering into lead commissioning arrangements or pooled budgetary arrangements. The NHS Commissioning Board Authority is supporting emerging clinical commissioning groups in considering how they might commission certain services, such as for tuberculosis (TB), collaboratively and at scale.
	Recent public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on identifying and managing tuberculosis in hard to reach groups recommends that commissioners could consider collaborative commissioning arrangements for TB prevention and control services, which may, for example, cover a major metropolitan district, taking into account factors such as local TB incidence and existing service configurations for organisations involved in TB prevention and control.
	The Health and Social Care Bill also sets out the Government's intention that the new NHS Commissioning Board should have responsibility for directly commissioning a number of services. Included within these services are specialised services for people with rare conditions. We are currently considering the scope of national commissioning to be carried out by the Board and the extent to which this will cover highly specialised TB services.

Tuberculosis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how tuberculosis control is included in local health protection plans.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) works with local national health service organisations to support planning for local tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control services.
	The HPA is supporting local NHS organisations in cohort reviews of TB cases and incidents as recommended in new public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and is piloting a model of multidisciplinary review of local TB services that will be evaluated.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cars, vans and lorries have been intercepted at points of entry into the UK as part of the UK Border Agency's steps to tackle alcohol duty fraud in the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years.

Damian Green: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Border Force does not hold central records on the number of vehicles intercepted at UK ports of entry specifically related to tackling alcohol duty fraud. Local management records are retained. However information can be extracted only at a disproportionate cost.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the drinks industry on the Government's alcohol strategy.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Home Office ministers and officials receive representations from a wide variety of partners, organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. We will consult on a number of elements in the alcohol strategy.

Aviation: Security

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many iris scanners there are at airports in the UK.

Damian Green: Border Force has seven operational IRIS gates installed at five locations (Heathrow Terminals 1, 3, 4 and 5 and Gatwick North).

British Nationality: Families

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will review the rights of family members who do not have the nationality of an EU member state enjoying the same rights as an EU citizen whom they have accompanied to the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will implement a mandatory short stay visa requirement under Regulation No. 539/2001 for all future accompanying persons from 1 July 2012.

Damian Green: The rights of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals and their family members to live and work in other European countries, and to be accompanied by their third country national family members, are set out in legislation (Directive 2004/38/EC, known as “the Free Movement Directive”) by which all EU member states are bound. The UK has implemented the directive via the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 (“the EEA Regulations”). Non-EEA nationals who wish to accompany or join their EEA national family members in the UK may, in accordance with the EEA Regulations, apply for an EEA Family Permit before travelling to facilitate their journey to the UK.
	The EEA Regulations are regularly reviewed to ensure that free movement law, as interpreted by the UK's courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union, is implemented correctly.
	The United Kingdom is not bound by Regulation No. 539/2001 as we do not participate in the migration aspects of the Schengen acquis. Our visa requirements for third country nationals who are not family members of EEA nationals are therefore set out in separate United Kingdom Immigration Rules.
	The Government are committed to protecting free movement rights from fraud and abuse and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has shared the UK's views on the matter with other member states at JHA Council on every occasion that she attended since June 2011.

Crime Prevention: Motor Vehicles

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Article 5 of EU Council Decision 2004/919/EC, what the UK contact point is for tackling cross-border vehicle crime; and on how many occasions it has exchanged information with the contact points of other EU member states on methods and best practices of preventing vehicle crime in each year since 2005.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Between 2007 and April 2011, a representative of the Association of Chief Police Officers' Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) attended twice-yearly meetings with European counterparts, and AVCIS participated in four joint operations.

Drugs: Crime

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2003/847/JHA of 27 November 2003, whether the drugs 2C-I, 2C-T-2, 2C-T-7 and TMA-2 are subject to control measures and criminal penalties in the UK.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 March 2012
	The EU Council Decision 2003/847/JHA defined the following substances as new synthetic drugs to be made subject to control measures and criminal sanctions by member states:
	2C-I (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethylamine);
	2C-T-2 (2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylthiophenethylamine);
	2C-T-7 (2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine); and
	TMA-2 (2,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine).
	No action was required by the UK as these have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as Class A drugs since 1977. The possession, supply and production of these drugs are therefore prohibited and, unless under lawful authority, attract Class A criminal penalties.

Drugs: Regulation

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to lift the restriction on certain controlled drugs to enable full nurse prescribing to be implemented; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer, 20 March 2012
	The Home Office is currently working on a Statutory Instrument to implement changes to controlled drugs legislation to enable nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers to prescribe all controlled drugs within their competence. The Statutory Instrument will be laid in Parliament this month, subject to consideration by Ministers. The expectation is that the changes will take effect in April 2012.

Entry Clearances: Foreign Workers

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many out-of-country visas were issued to both main applicants and dependents for intra-company transfers between 2000 and 2011.

Theresa May: Tier 2 of the points based system (PBS) for intra-company transfers (ICT) has been reformed in recent years. For this reason, direct comparisons before and after the changes in both November 2008 and April 2011 would be misleading.
	The PBS Tier 2—ICT category was introduced in November 2008. Prior to this, intra-company transfers were included in the work permit system.
	In April 2011, there was a further change to the PBS ICT route whereby it was separated into long- and short-term categories including both main applicants and dependants. Prior to April, dependants of the ICT category were issued visas under the PBS Tier 2—Dependent category.
	The available information is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Tier 2 intra-company transfers out of country visas to the United Kingdom issued, main applicants and dependants 
			  Main applicants Dependants 
			  Tier 2—intra-company transfers Tier 2—intra-company transfers, short-term Tier 2—intra-company transfers, long-term Total Tier 2—intra-company transfers Tier 2—intra-company transfers, short-term Tier 2—intra-company transfers, long-term Total 
			 Q1 2008 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q2 2008 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q3 2008 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q4 2008 47 (1)— (1)— 47 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Total 2008 47 (1)— (1)— 47 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			          
			 Q1 2009 4,356 (1)— (1)— 4,356 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q2 2009 5,662 (1)— (1)— 5,662 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q3 2009 6,091 (1)— (1)— 6,091 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q4 2009 5,920 (1)— (1)— 5,920 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Total 2009 22,029 (1)— (1)— 22,029 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			          
			 Q1 2010 7,379 (1)— (1)— 7,379 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q2 2010 7,164 (1)— (1)— 7,164 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q3 2010 8,046 (1)— (1)— 8,046 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q4 2010 6,582 (1)— (1)— 6,582 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Total 2010 29,171 (1)— (1)— 29,171 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			          
			 Q1 2011 7,370 (1)— (1)— 7,370 (2)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 Q2 2011 2,242 2,992 2,152 7,386 (2)— 825 2,190 3,015 
			 Q3 2011 751 4,387 3,276 8,414 (2)— 1,154 3,195 4,349 
			 Q4 2011 415 3,647 2,445 6,507 (2)— 1,146 2,413 3,559 
			 Total 2011 10,778 11,026 7,873 29,677 (2)— 3,125 7,798 10,923 
			 (1) Not applicable (2) Not available Notes: 1. PBS Tier 2 and the category intra-company transfers were introduced in November 2003. 2. PBS Tier 2 categories for short- and long-term intra-company transfers were introduced in April 2011. Prior to April 2011, dependants of those issued visas under the PBS Tier 2 ICT category were recorded differently. 3. Figures for entry clearance visas are Management Information and are provisional and are subject to change. 
		
	
	Those issued with visas in the short-term ICT category are granted leave for no longer than 12 months and are not included in ONS figures for net migration.
	Some entry clearance visas continued to be issued in pre-PBS categories for a period following the introduction of PBS. These would include those for the purposes of work for employees of multinational companies who were being transferred to a UK branch of the organisation, but these are now at a very low levels.
	The pre-PBS work permit system was a two-stage process. Not all those granted work permits took up jobs and some may have been refused entry clearance or leave to enter. The UK Border Agency does not hold visa data for ICTs prior to November 2008 in a readily available form. These figures could be obtained only by examining individual applications at disproportionate cost.
	Data relating to out of country visas issued under Tier 2 intra-company transfers are published in table ‘be.04.q’ of the Home Office statistical release ‘Immigration Statistics’.
	A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics October to December 2011 is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011/

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the plans to reduce staffing levels at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the potential effect of such plans on the fulfilment of the Commission's statutory remit on equality and human rights.

Lynne Featherstone: It is for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to determine what level and structure of its staffing, including grading and staff numbers, is appropriate to its functions and to the requirements of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, within its available resources and its overall staffing complement. Like all public bodies, the EHRC must ensure value for money in its use of public funds.
	Following the Government's spending review, we announced in October 2010 that we will be reducing the EHRC's budget by over half, from £55 million in 2010-11 to £26 million in 2014-15. In deciding on its budget allocation, we took account of concerns about the EHRC's performance to date.
	In March 2011, we set out plans to reform the EHRC in our consultation document Building a Fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. We will respond to the consultation shortly.

Foreign Workers: Domestic Service

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics her office holds on the number of migrant domestic workers reporting unlawful working conditions.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 March 2012
	This information is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
	Published statistics are available on a quarterly and annual basis, which report on the number of overseas domestic workers granted settlement. In 2010, the number of grants was 1,062(1).
	(1) Data taken from tables ‘se.03’ of the statistical release “Immigration Statistics October-December 2011”. This publication is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science, research and statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011

Freezing Orders: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many freezing orders the UK (a) sent to and (b) received from other EU member states under the procedure established by EU Council Framework Decision 2003/577/JHA of 22 July 2003 in each year since 2003; and how many such freezing orders were executed.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 March 2012
	Council Framework Decision 2003/577/JHA) establishes rules under which an EU member state recognises and executes in its territory a Freezing Order for property or evidence issued by the judicial authority of another EU member state in the framework of criminal proceedings. The UK Central Authority (UKCA) within the Home Office deals with incoming and outgoing Freezing Order requests in relation to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To date, there have been no Freezing Order requests sent to member states, and four Freezing Order requests have been received from member states. Of these, one has been executed by the UK.

Immigration

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for EEA2 residence cards were made by non-EU nationals living in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford, (b) the London borough of Bexley and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: Constituency level data are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols. However, the UK Border Agency publishes statistics on a quarterly and annual basis that cover all EEA applications to the UK broken down by nationality. Published statistics regarding EEA applications can be found under table ee.02 at the following location:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-tabs-q4-2011/eea-q4-2011-tabs

Immigration

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people who had been granted limited leave to remain for an initial five-year period were then granted another period of leave to remain in the latest period for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the effect of limited leave to remain on the ability of individuals to apply for a job.

Damian Green: holding answer 23 November  2011 
	This information is not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
	However, published statistics are available on a quarterly and annual basis that report on applications for extensions. This publication is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office science, research and statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011
	With reference to the applicant’s ability to apply for a job when granted limited leave to remain, individuals must abide by the conditions of their leave, and their ability to work will vary depending on the category of leave they have. In some circumstances individuals may need to make a further application if they wish to take up a job in the UK.

Immigration Controls: Olympic Games 2012

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will put in place additional border checks at all points of entry to the UK for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Damian Green: Border Force will continue to undertake the full range of standard checks at the border for all passengers arriving during the Olympic and Paralympic period.
	In addition, from 30 March, biometrics will be captured at the border from visa national games family members who use their accreditation card as a visa waiver where they have not previously provided fingerprints and facial images.
	Olympic and Paralympic Games family members such as athletes, coaches and officials will be required to obtain accreditation for the Olympic or Paralympic Games before participating in the games, and will undergo a series of biographical security checks (for example name and date of birth) undertaken by the Home Office prior to being granted accreditation and receiving the Olympic or Paralympic Identity and Accreditation Card.

Immigration: Lewisham

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of foreign nationals in Lewisham, Deptford constituency pursuing applications of any kind with the UK Border Agency who do not have access to public funds; and how many such foreign nationals are children.

Damian Green: Constituency level data are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols.
	However the UK Border Agency publishes immigration statistics on a quarterly and annual basis. The latest published statistics on asylum and non asylum applications can be found here:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2011/

Immunity Certificates

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether public interest immunity applications were made in the inquest into the 7 July 2005 bombings.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 22 March 2012
	In the 7 July inquests the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), made three public interest immunity applications and West Yorkshire police made one.

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has a role in developing intellectual property policy.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not take a specific policy role in developing policy on intellectual property (IP) matters, but responds to consultations and contributes to IP-related forums as they arise, depending on relevance. It is currently considering making a response to the consultation launched by the Intellectual Property Office on proposed changes to UK copyright legislation. The Department will make a decision on whether to respond or not before the deadline of 21 March.

Lasers

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has plans to alter the regulation of the (a) importation to the UK and (b) sale of lasers.

James Brokenshire: The Government have no current plans to alter these regulations.

Lasers

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to classify lasers as an offensive weapon.

James Brokenshire: The Government have no current plans to classify lasers as an offensive weapon.
	Lasers sold in the UK and the EU are covered by safety standards governing which lasers should be used by trained operators and are therefore not suitable for use by the general public. Only Class 1 and Class 2 lasers (under 1 mw in strength) are suitable for general consumer use.
	Any deliberate misuse of Class 1 or Class 2 lasers, including shining lasers at aircraft, is a matter for the police and prosecution authorities. Under the Air Navigation Order it is an offence to act in a manner likely to endanger the safety of an aircraft. Any person found guilty of such an offence could face a custodial sentence of up to five years.

Lasers

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have had recent discussions with their US counterparts on dangers arising from the aiming of lasers at aircraft.

James Brokenshire: Neither the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), nor officials in the Home Office have had recent discussions with their US counterparts on dangers arising from the aiming of lasers at aircraft.

Lost Property

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what property has been lost or stolen from her Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property.

Damian Green: The Home Office reports figures for lost or stolen BlackBerrys, mobile phones and laptops on an annual basis. The most recently published figures related to the period 1 January to 31 December 2010 and are shown in the following table.
	Figures relating to the period 1 January to 31 December 2011 are due for release in April 2012.
	Lost and stolen laptops include both Remote Access Service (RAS) and non-RAS laptops. A premium is paid to our IT provider which covers all lost or stolen RAS equipment. There is no additional cost to the Home Office when RAS equipment is lost or stolen. An estimated replacement cost of £1,000 has been assumed for all non-RAS laptops.
	Lost and stolen BlackBerry devices and mobile phones are reported together. The cost of a lost or stolen BlackBerry device is £135. An estimated value of £50 has been assumed for other mobile phones.
	Arrangements for the management of physical assets other than ICT across the Home Office estate vary, and central data on thefts and losses is therefore collated annually at the end of the financial year. Further information for the last 12 months could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Device/incident Total number 
			 Lost BlackBerrys and mobile phones 26 
			 Stolen BlackBerrys and mobile phones 10 
			 Lost laptops 20 
			 Stolen laptops 5

Metropolitan Police: Public Appointments

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to bring forward proposals to enable local authorities to be involved in the selection of borough commanders in the Metropolitan Police Service.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 26 March 2012
	None. The selection and recruitment of borough commanders in the Metropolitan Police Service is a matter for the Commissioner.

Money Laundering

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Article 4 of EU Council Framework Decision 2001/500/JHA of 26 June 2001, on money laundering and confiscation of proceeds of crime, how many requests for mutual assistance in asset identification, tracing, freezing, seizing and confiscation were (a) received and (b) issued by the UK authorities in each year since 2002; and how many of those requests have been granted.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 14 March 2012
	This information is not held centrally. I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 12 March 2012, Official Report, column 18W.

Olympic Games 2012

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2012, Official Report, column 814W, on Olympic Games 2012, what additional resources her Department has allocated to meet the cost of commitments relating to the London 2012 Olympic Games by each force listed in 2012-13;
	(2)  how many officers from each police force area are expected to be deployed to the Metropolitan Police in support of policing of the London 2012 Olympics.

Nick Herbert: Provisional funding allocations from the Home Office for the financial year 2012-13 for host police forces for the additional costs of Olympic safety and security are not yet confirmed.
	Mutual aid between police forces for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is co-ordinated through the Association of Chief Police Officers' Police National Information and Co-ordination Centre (ACPO PNICC). The number of officers to be requested is kept under constant review, and it is expected that all non-venue forces across the UK will be asked to supply resources during the London 2012 Games. Final figures for requests are not yet available, but PNICC will ensure that this is proportionate to their relative size and capacity. Donor forces will be reimbursed in accordance with the prevailing mutual aid arrangements, which will allow the chief constable, should he or she choose to do so, to back fill for officers abstracted, thereby mitigating any potential impact on local service delivery.

Organised Crime

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish a strategy for tackling violence initiated or facilitated by gangs; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Government's strategy for tackling violence involving gangs is set out in the Ending Gang and Youth Violence Report which the Home Secretary published on 1 November 2011.
	A copy of this report can be found at
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Organised Crime: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of liaison officers operating under EU Council Decision 2003/170/JHA of 27 February 2003; and how many such liaison officers the UK (a) sent to and (b) hosted from other EU member states in each year since 2003.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 March 2012
	UK Law Enforcement Agencies collaborate closely with a number of EU member states in the fight against organised crime in various global locations. This collaboration is consistent with EU Council Decision 2003/170/JHA. For operational reasons, law enforcement agencies do not publish details of liaison officer numbers in specific locations.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what date she expects to lay all outstanding secondary legislation in respect of police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: In order to establish the Mayor's office for policing and crime in January secondary legislation relating to Police and Crime Commissioners, including the statutory protocol, has already been laid and approved by Parliament. All remaining secondary legislation will be laid in good time for the elections of Police and Crime Commissioners.

Police and Crime Commissioners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish secondary legislation on elections for the posts of police and crime commissioner.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 26 March 2012
	I am currently considering the response to our consultation from the Electoral Commission which closed last week, and will lay the secondary legislation before Parliament as soon as possible.

Police: Private Sector

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the out-sourcing of police services to the private sector;
	(2)  whether front-line policing will be contracted out to the private sector;
	(3)  whether her Department is consulted before police forces choose to outsource back office staff functions to reduce costs.

Nick Herbert: No front-line police officers will be contracted out to the private sector. The Government are clear that the private sector can help the police service achieve cost savings and better services for the public. Every pound saved means more money for front-line services. Only police officers have the power of arrest and they will continue to patrol the streets, respond to 999 calls and lead investigations. There is no intention to allow private companies to carry out police activities which require warranted powers, except to the extent that this has already been achieved for detention and escort officers by legislation passed under the previous Government. While the Government support the police in considering the value of private sector partners, it is a matter for individual chief constables and their police and crime commissioners to make decisions around deployment and allocation of resources for their force.

Police: Private Sector

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that operational control remains with chief police officers under the Business Partnering for Police Project;
	(2)  whether she has made an assessment of the compatibility of the public service ethos of the police with the involvement of profit-making private sector companies in core public policing activity through the Business Partnering for Police Project.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The Business Partnering for the Police programme in the West Midlands and Surrey is a matter for the relevant police authorities and forces. The private sector can help to deliver some police services better and at lower cost. The Government are clear, however, that policing will remain a public service, accountable to the people through elected Police and Crime Commissioners with chief constables retaining operational control and accountability.

Police: Private Sector

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's (a) analysis of the merits of and (b) business case for the Business Partnering for Police Project.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The Government supports the police in considering the value of private sector partnering to achieve cost savings and better services for the public. It is for individual police authorities (from November, Police and Crime Commissioners) to consider the merits of specific proposals relating to their police force areas. The papers considered by the Surrey and West Midlands police authorities regarding the Business Partnering for the Police programme are publicly available from their respective websites.

Police: Private Sector

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether elected police and crime commissioners in the West Midlands and Surrey police force areas will have the ability to halt the proposals contained in the Business Partnering for Police Project.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 23 March 2012
	The current timetable for the Business Partnering for the Police programme means that the newly elected police and crime commissioners for the two forces will take the final decision on any eventual contracts.

Proceeds of Crime: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK has fully enacted the provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA; and what assessment her Department has made of its effectiveness in combating illicit drug trafficking.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 26 March 2012
	The mandatory elements of EU Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA which lays down the minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of illicit drug trafficking has been fully transposed into UK law.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.

Security: Football

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of EU Council Decision 2002/348/JHA of 25 April 2002 on improving security at international football matches.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 15 March 2012
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.

Taxis

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on taxis for (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants between August 2011 and January 2012.

Damian Green: The Home Office and its agencies spent £165,927.73 on taxis between August 2011 and January 2012. Of this £6 was spent on taxis for Ministers.

Theft: Metals

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of metal thefts which have occurred in the last year (a) nationally and (b) in Milton Keynes.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not available centrally. From 1 April 2012, metal theft offences will be recorded separately providing the number of offences at national and police force area level.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many frontline UK Border Agency staff there were working at the UK borders in (a) 2010, (b) 2009, (c) 2008, (d) 2007, (e) 2006, (f) 2005, (g) 2004, (h) 2003, (i) 2002 and (j) 2001.

Damian Green: Before 2010, workforce statistics were not compiled in such a way as to be split between front-line and corporate services in accordance with the current definitions.
	Because of this, and changes in the structure of the UK Border Agency and its predecessors over time, it is not possible now to answer this question directly except at disproportionate costs as retrospective decisions would have to be made about the historical role of individual officers and teams.

UK Border Force

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the staff that will be transferred to the UK Border Force from the UK Border Agency are frontline staff.

Damian Green: Border Force has 7,539 staff (FTE). Many of these staff perform a variety of duties in protecting our borders.

UK Border Force

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Force will receive additional funding to improve its control of UK borders.

Damian Green: The funding for the UK Border Force is set out in the published spending review plans.

UK Border Force: Manpower

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many frontline UK Border Force staff there are working at the UK borders.

Damian Green: Border Force has 7,539 staff (FTE). Many of these staff perform a variety of duties in protecting our borders.

War Crimes: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2002/494/JHA of 13 June 2002, what the UK contact point is for the exchange of information concerning the investigation of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; on how many occasions since 2002 that contact point has been requested to provide available information under Article 2(1) of the Decision; and what assessment her Department has made of the Decision's effectiveness.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 March 2012
	For the purposes of Article 1 of the Council Decision 2002/494/JHA (setting up a European network of contact points in respect of persons responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes) the UK has notified the General Secretariat of the Council of three contact points; the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Metropolitan police, and Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division. Through this network UK contact points have attended a number of meetings and presentations in which information regarding genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes has been shared among contact points. There is no centrally held record for the number of times the contact points have had a request for information.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arms Trade

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what arms export licences have been revoked subsequent to the Government's response, Cm 8079, to the First Report of the Committee on Arms Export Controls, on Scrutiny of Arms Export Controls (2011), HC 686; and if he will provide this information in the same format as that used in Annex 1 of Cm 8079.

Mark Prisk: Further to the Government's response to the First Report of the Committee on Arms Export Controls (CM8079), on Scrutiny of Arms Export Controls (2011) there has been no further revocations in north Africa and the middle east, since we responded to named day parliamentary question 71627 tabled by my hon. Friend on 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 258W.
	The one licence that was revoked and previously referred to in 71627 is:
	
		
			 End user country Annual report summary Rating reason for revocation 
			 Syria Small arms ammunition ML3 Due to the arms embargo imposed by the EU this licence was reassessed and found to contravene Criteria 1 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there no generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.

Basic Skills

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect on English for speakers of other languages learners in further education colleges of the removal of basic skills qualifications in literacy and numeracy after academic year 2012-13.

John Hayes: I can confirm that funding for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications will continue for the academic year 2012/13, and this Department is currently considering the future shape and content for qualifications for ESOL learners for the academic year 2013-14.

Business: Loans

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Technology Strategy Board spent in each region in each of the last three years; how many grants it awarded in each such year; and which companies received financial assistance from the board in each such year.

David Willetts: holding answer 22 March 2012
	Regional information is only available for the Technology Strategy Board’s spend on its collaborative R and D activity—other programmes could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The collaborative R and D spend by region in each of the last three years, together with the total number of grants issued, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  ( £ million )  
			 Region 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 (1) Total number of grants for 2009/10 to 2011/12 (1) 
			 East Midlands 21.51 21.57 20.30 1,124 
			 East of England 8.68 6.53 10.94 507 
			 London 18.82 34.71 41.14 1,350 
			 North East 3.66 4.96 9.31 410 
			 North West 7.56 11.06 12.86 765 
			 Northern Ireland 1.38 2.14 2.11 102 
			 Scotland 4.33 8.55 10.55 562 
		
	
	
		
			 South East 25.38 45.06 46.60 1,952 
			 South West 21.39 14.54 25.40 812 
			 Wales 2.65 3.49 3.27 234 
			 West Midlands 15.48 12.34 14.94 696 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4.75 8.13 7.98 448 
			 Total 135.59 173.08 205.40 8,962 
			 (1) Up to 29 February 2012. 
		
	
	A list of the companies that received financial assistance in respect of the above expenditure has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Catering

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on complimentary refreshments for (a) staff and (b) visitors in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: For the period 1 April 2011 to 21 March 2012, the departmental expenditure on refreshments with the Department’s catering services contractor BaxterStorey is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Within the Department’s conference centre 131,772 
			 Within 1 Victoria street meeting rooms 87,958 
		
	
	The expenditure, which includes both food and drink, is for meetings where visitors and staff were present. We are unable to differentiate between expenditure for staff or visitors.
	The Department’s policy is that hospitality should only be ordered for meetings where visitors will be present.

Duke of York

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the cost to the public purse was of expenses paid to HRH the Duke of York between 22 July 2011 and 30 December 2011.

Norman Lamb: HRH The Duke of York has honoured a number of pre-existing overseas diary commitments since he announced on 21 July 2011 that he was relinquishing his role as UK Special Representative for Trade and Investment. The list of official overseas visits undertaken by HRH the Duke of York between 22 July 2011 and 30 December 2011 is shown in the following table. These visits were approved by the Royal Visits Committee, undertaken in agreement with FCO and/or UKTI and in support of HMG objectives. The list does not include official military visits undertaken in HRH The Duke of York's capacity as a senior member of the royal family.
	
		
			 Date Country visited Funded by (1) 
			 18-23 September 2011 Saudi Arabia UKTI 
			 26 September—2 October 2011 Singapore UKTI 
			 23-28 October 2011 South China UKTI 
			 30 October—1 November 2011 Malaysia UKTI 
			 20-23 November 2011 Qatar UKTI 
			 24 November 2011 United Arab Emirates FCO 
			 (1) Excludes all air travel. 
		
	
	FCO and/or UKTI are paying certain expenses, including accommodation and in-country travel costs (but excluding all air travel) for official overseas visits undertaken by HRH The Duke of York. FCO and/or UKTI are also paying associated expenses for his supporting staff.
	The total cost to UKTI for these visits will be available on the UKTI website following the publication of UKTI's audited accounts for the year ending March 2012. The cost for the FCO visit is expected to be available when The Duke of York publishes his annual review in the summer.
	Air travel to and from countries and in-country is paid for by The Royal Travel Office. Further information can be obtained from the Grant-in-aid for Royal Travel by Air and Rail Annual Report that forms part of the Royal Public Finances annual report. Details can be found on the British Monarchy website:
	http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalHousehold/Royalfinances/AnnualFinancialReports/Annualfinancialreports.aspx

EU Internal Trade

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed in those firms; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Figures produced by HM Revenue and Customs based on administrative data indicate that there are almost 200,000 traders in the UK which either import goods from or export goods to other EU member states. A figure covering goods and services trade is not available, but since services account for over a quarter of UK trade with the EU by value, the figure for goods and services traders may be significantly higher.
	There are no estimates of the number of people employed in those firms trading with other EU member states.
	Half of all UK trade is with the EU, totalling around £450 billion of goods and services in 2010. EU data for goods and services trade in 2011 are planned for release in July 2012.

Exports: Bahrain

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Bahrain are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are under each licence.

Mark Prisk: A list of the strategic export control licences that remain extant for Bahrain will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Exports: Egypt

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Egypt are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are in each licence.

Mark Prisk: A list of the strategic export control licences that remain extant for Egypt will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Exports: Libya

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Libya are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are in each licence.

Mark Prisk: The following strategic export control licences remain extant for Libya:
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary Goods value (£) 
			 SIEL neutron generators 272,023 
			 SIEL inertial equipment 32,579 
			 SIEL cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography 77,093,000 
			 SIEL cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography 77,093,000 
			 SIEL cryptographic software 43,354 
			 SIEL cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography 2,032,500 
			 SIEL cryptographic software 210 
			 SIEL corrosion resistant chemical manufacturing equipment 3,122 
			 SIEL devices for initiating explosives, linear cutting explosive charges 102,725 
			 SIEL components for munitions/ordnance detection/disposal equipment, military equipment for initiating explosives, munitions/ordnance detection/disposal equipment 137,152 
			 SIEL bomb suits, components for bomb suits, military helmets 94,490 
			 SIEL components for military equipment for initiating explosives 2,500 
			 SIEL components for military equipment for initiating explosives, military equipment for initiating explosives 16,950 
			 SIEL Libyan bank notes and coins 1,088,560 
			 SIEL Libyan bank notes and coins 31,000,000 
			 SITCL all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 163,500 
			 SITCL all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 145,000 
			 SITCL all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 233,170 
		
	
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary 
			 OIEL cryptographic software, technology for the use of cryptographic software 
			 OIEL components for improvised explosive device disposal equipment, improvised explosive device disposal equipment 
			 OIEL cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
		
	
	
		
			 OIEL heading sensors for hydrophone arrays, hydrophones, towed hydrophone arrays 
			 OIEL cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of cryptographic software, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OITCL all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there no generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.

Exports: Syria

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Syria are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are under each licence.

Mark Prisk: The following strategic export control licences remain extant for Syria:
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary Goods value (£) 
			 SITCL Promoting the supply of all-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 201,064 
			 SITCL All-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 201,064 
			 SIEL Components for general industrial production equipment 137,737 
			 SIEL Chemicals used for industrial/commercial processes 10,000 
			 SIEL Chemicals used for industrial/commercial processes 10,200 
			 SIEL Personal protective equipment 13,454 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 199,209 
		
	
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary 
			 OITCL All-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 
			 OIEL Heading sensors for hydrophone arrays, hydrophones, towed hydrophone arrays 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there no generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.

Exports: Tunisia

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Tunisia are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are in each licence.

Mark Prisk: The following strategic export control licences remain extant for Tunisia:
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary Goods value (£) 
			 SIEL Components for control equipment for man portable air defence systems 16,320 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 4,200,000 
			 SIEL Components for aircraft radars 58,232 
			 SIEL Military helmets 2,568 
			 SIEL Corrosion resistant chemical manufacturing equipment 7,381 
			 SIEL Components for military improvised explosive device disposal equipment 15,058 
			 SIEL Animal pathogens 10 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 320,000 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 544 
			 SIEL Components for military improvised explosive device decoying/detection/disposal/jamming equipment 20,854 
			 SIEL Goods treated for signature suppression for military use 3,114,000 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 270 
			 SIEL Military support vehicles 25,000 
			 SIEL Components for equipment employing cryptography 170 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 750,100 
			 SIEL Controlled atmosphere furnaces 825,000 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 9,570 
			 SIEL Civil NBC detection systems, components for civil NBC detection systems 28,591 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 194 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 268 
			 SIEL Equipment employing cryptography 1,867 
			 SIEL Components for military support aircraft 720,170 
			 SIEL Components for equipment for the operation of military aircraft in confined areas 480,127 
			 SIEL Goods treated for signature suppression for military use 65,000 
			 SITCL All-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 135,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Application Type Annual report summary 
			 OIEL Cryptographic software 
			 OIEL Software for military communications equipment, technology for the use of software for military communications equipment 
			 OIEL Software for the use of military communications equipment, software to simulate the function of military communications equipment, technology for the use of software to simulate the function of military communications equipment 
			 OIEL Components for equipment employing cryptography, cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of cryptographic software, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OIEL Cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OIEL Heading sensors for hydrophone arrays, hydrophones, towed hydrophone arrays 
			 OIEL Components for military training aircraft, equipment for the use of military transport aircraft, general military aircraft components, military aircraft ground equipment, technology for the use of equipment for the use of military transport aircraft, technology for the use of military aircraft ground equipment, technology for the use of military transport aircraft 
			 OIEL Cutters/severing tools, detonating cord, devices for initiating explosives, explosives, linear cutting explosive charges, linear shaped cutting charges, non-military detonators, non-military firing sets, shaped charges, underwater telecommunications systems 
			 OIEL Inertial equipment 
			 OIEL Heading sensors for hydrophone arrays 
			 OIEL Components for military radars, military software, technology for military radars 
			 OIEL General naval vessel components, technology for general naval vessel components 
		
	
	
		
			 OIEL Components for corrosion resistant chemical manufacturing equipment 
			 OIEL Fibrous/filamentary materials 
			 OIEL Inertial equipment, technology for inertial equipment 
			 OIEL Components for combat aircraft, components for combat helicopters, components for military aero-engines, components for military aircraft ground equipment, components for military aircrew breathing equipment, components for military helicopters, components for military support aircraft, components for military training aircraft, components for naval engines, equipment for the use of combat aircraft, equipment for the use of combat helicopters, equipment for the use of military aero-engines, equipment for the use of military aircraft ground equipment, equipment for the use of military aircrew breathing equipment, equipment for the use of military helicopters, equipment for the use of military support aircraft, equipment for the use of military training aircraft, equipment for the use of naval engines, general military aircraft components, technology for combat aircraft, technology for combat helicopters, technology for military aero-engines, technology for military aircraft ground equipment, technology for military aircrew breathing equipment, technology for military helicopters, technology for military support aircraft, technology for military training aircraft, technology for naval engines 
			 OIEL Components for submersible vehicles, composite structures, heading sensors for hydrophone arrays, high energy capacitors, imaging cameras, metal alloy tubes, submersible equipment, syntactic foam, underwater electronic imaging systems 
			 OIEL Command communications control and intelligence software, technology for command communications control and intelligence software 
			 OIEL Small arms ammunition 
			 OIEL Aircraft seals, components for inertial equipment, inertial equipment 
			 OIEL Neutron generators, non-military detonators, non-military firing sets 
			 OITCL All-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there are generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.

Exports: Yemen

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which UK strategic export control licences to Yemen are currently extant; and what the nature and quantity of the licensed goods or services are under each licence.

Mark Prisk: The following strategic export control licences remain extant for Yemen:
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary Goods value (£) 
			 SITCL All-wheel drive vehicles with ballistic protection 70,000 
			 SIEL (Permanent) Body armour 43,288 
			 SIEL (Permanent) Military aero-engines 819,930 
			 SIEL (Permanent) Body armour 1,444 
			 SIEL (Permanent) Components for military cameras, equipment for the use of military cameras, technology for the use of military cameras, test equipment for military cameras 85,858 
		
	
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary 
			 OIEL Cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of cryptographic software, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OIEL Cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of cryptographic software, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of software for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OIEL Heading sensors for hydrophone arrays, hydrophones, towed hydrophone arrays 
			 OIEL Cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
			 OIEL Components for inertial equipment, inertial equipment 
			 OIEL Components for equipment employing cryptography, cryptographic software, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography, technology for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there no generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.

Foreign Companies

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of jobs created by overseas companies which decided to locate their European headquarters in the UK in each of the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of overseas companies which located their European headquarters in the UK in each of the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The relevant data are collected by UK Trade and Investment. The following tables provide figures for the number of new European Headquarters (EHQs) located in the UK and the number of new jobs created as a result of these location decisions, for financial year 2010/11 inclusive.
	It is an established convention that Minsters of one Administration cannot see the documents of a previous Administration. I am therefore unable to provide the information requested.
	
		
			 UKTI Number of new jobs associated with new EHQs in the UK 
			  Number of new jobs from new EHQs in the UK recorded by UKTI 
			 2010/11 1,361 
			 Source: UKTI Database 
		
	
	
		
			 UKTI recorded new EHQs in the UK 
			  Number of new EHQs recorded by UKTI 
			 2010/11 134 
			 Source: UKTI Database

Higher Education: Private Sector

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department or the agencies reporting to his Department, collect data on non-completion rates in private higher education institutions of students who are eligible to receive student loan funding.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and the agencies reporting to the Department, do not hold the data requested on non-completion rates in private higher education institutions of students who are eligible to receive student loan funding. The BIS Technical Consultation of August 2012 stated that we intend to ensure that all higher education providers whose students access student support funding are required to provide sufficient and proportionate information to students and the public.

Intellectual Property

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has a role in intellectual property policy development.

Norman Lamb: The overall lead for development of intellectual policy rests with this Department, through the Intellectual Property Office, which is an agency of the Department. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my noble Friend Baroness Wilcox, leads on intellectual property issues.

Intellectual Property Office

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who the members are of the four expert advisory groups advising the Intellectual Property Office; and what the remuneration is of each such member.

Norman Lamb: The Intellectual Property Office (\PO) has established four informal expert advisory groups to peer review all aspects of its research programme. The members of expert advisory groups receive no remuneration but are able to claim travel and subsistence to attend meetings.
	
		
			 Trade and Development Research Expert Advisory Group 
			 Name Organisation 
			 Ha-Joon Chang Cambridge University 
			 Tony Clayton Intellectual Property Office 
			 Charles Clift Consultant 
			 Johanna Gibson Intellectual Property Institute 
			 David Humphries Intellectual Property Office 
			 Jill Johnstone Consumer Focus 
			 Jonathan Lingham Department for International Development 
			 Vanessa Marsland Clifford Chance 
			 Duncan Matthews Queen Mary College London 
			 Benjamin Mitra-Kahn Intellectual Property Office 
			 Anthony Morris Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
			 John Piper Department for International Development 
			 Gwilym Roberts Kilburn & Strode 
			 Bill Russell Intellectual Property Office 
		
	
	
		
			 Trade Marks and Design Rights Research Expert Advisory Group 
			 Name Organisation 
			 Tony Clayton Intellectual Property Office 
			 Brigid Feeny Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
			 Dawn Franklin Brandright 
			 Rose Geeson Intellectual Property Office 
			 Christine Greenhalgh Oxford University 
			 David Humphries Intellectual Property Office 
			 Phillip Johnson Barrister and Visiting Senior Fellow, Queen Mary 
			 Ailbhe McNabola Design Council 
			 Janette McNeill Intellectual Property Office 
			 Benjamin Mitra-Kahn Intellectual Property Office 
			 David Musker Jenkins 
			 John Noble British Brands Group 
			 Bruce Tether Imperial College London 
			 Bill Trott Intellectual Property Office 
			 Jan Vleck Reddie & Grose 
		
	
	
		
			 Copyright Research Expert Advisory Group 
			 Name Organisation 
			 Hasan Bakhshi National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) 
			 Adrian Brazier Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
			 Ian Christie Birkbeck College London 
			 Tony Clayton Intellectual Property Office 
			 David Humphries Intellectual Property Office 
			 Martin Kretschmer Bournemouth University 
			 Benjamin Mitra-Kahn Intellectual Property Office 
			 Nick Munn Intellectual Property Office 
			 Will Page PRS for Music 
			 John Robinson Design and Artists' Copyright Society 
			 Charlotte Waelde Exeter University 
			 Saskia Walzel Consumer Focus 
			 Ben White British Library 
		
	
	
		
			 Patents Research Expert Advisory Group 
			 Name Organisation 
			 Adam Brocklehurst Siemens plc 
			 Dr Roger Burt Formerly IBM 
			 Tony Clayton Intellectual Property Office 
			 Liz Coleman Intellectual Property Office 
			 James Gray Withers and Rogers 
			 Daniel Hermele Qualcomm Europe 
			 Daniel Hodges Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
			 Tom Hoehn Imperial College, London 
			 Professor Alan Hughes Cambridge University 
			 David Humphries Intellectual Property Office 
			 Jackie Maguire Coder IP Management Ltd 
			 Laura Starrs Intellectual Property Office 
			 Ulrike Till Field Fisher Waterhouse

Mature Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) men and (b) women aged over 24 years were studying for qualifications at Level 3 and Level 4 or above in England in the latest period for which figures are available; and in which curriculum areas they were studying;
	(2)  how many (a) men and (b) women aged over 24 years were enrolled for study at Level 3 or above at each incorporated college of further education in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Hayes: holding answer 26 March 2012
	Table 1 shows the number of enrolments by adults (aged 24+) on level 3 and level 4 or above further education courses in England, by gender and sector subject area in 2010/11, the latest year for which final data are available.
	I have made data available in the Libraries of the House which show the number of enrolments by adults (aged 24+) on level 3 and level 4 or above further education courses in England, by gender and each general further education college in 2010/11, the latest year for which final data are available. These totals do not match those in Table 1 as only aims at general further education colleges are included.
	Information by sector subject area is only available for enrolments. One person can be enrolled on more than one course.
	
		
			 Table 1: Adult (aged 24+) enrolments on level 3 and level 4 or above further education courses by gender and sector subject area, 2010/11 
			  Level 
			 Sector subject area Gender Level 3 Level 4 or 5 higher 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care Female 2,200 70 
			  Male 2,040 80 
			  Total 4,230 150 
			     
			 Arts, Media and Publishing Female 6,030 230 
			  Male 3,520 90 
			  Total 9,550 320 
			     
			 Business, Administration and Law Female 28,540 6,740 
			  Male 15,740 2,850 
			  Total 44,280 9,590 
			     
			     
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment Female 510 60 
			  Male 13,960 810 
			  Total 14,460 870 
			     
			 Education and Training Female 25,630 7,230 
			  Male 9,570 4,500 
			  Total 35,200 11,730 
			     
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Female 1,710 40 
			  Male 19,670 340 
			  Total 21,380 380 
			     
		
	
	
		
			 Health, Public Services and Care Female 72,570 5,280 
			  Male 15,120 1,330 
			  Total 87,680 6,610 
			     
			 History, Philosophy and Theology Female 6,150 — 
			  Male 2,220 — 
			  Total 8,370 — 
			     
			 Information and Communication Technology Female 2,610 20 
			  Male 3,650 70 
			  Total 6,260 90 
			     
			 Languages, Literature and Culture Female 3,220 10 
			  Male 1,520 — 
			  Total 4,740 10 
			     
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism Female 1,580 30 
			  Male 2,690 100 
			  Total 4,270 140 
			     
			 Preparation for Life and Work Female 830 90 
			  Male 770 10 
			  Total 1,600 100 
			     
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise Female 9,170 70 
			  Male 7,670 20 
			  Total 16,840 80 
			     
			 Science and Mathematics Female 2,400 10 
			  Male 1,750 10 
			  Total 4,150 10 
			     
			 Social Sciences Female 1,090 10 
			  Male 400 — 
			  Total 1,490 10 
			     
			 Unknown Female 63,060 730 
			  Male 31,610 260 
			  Total 94,680 990 
			     
			 Total Female 227,300 20,610 
			  Male 131,880 10,470 
		
	
	
		
			  Total 359,200 31,100 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10 except the total which is rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Information in this table is based on all Government-funded learners, including apprenticeships, workplace learning, community learning and education and training provision taken at general further education colleges (including tertiary), sixth form colleges, special colleges (agricultural and horticultural colleges and art and design colleges), specialist colleges and external institutions. 3. These data include education and training, apprenticeships, work place learning and community learning provision. 4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of learners participating in further education is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 January 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Mature Students

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women in England who are following courses leading to qualifications at Level 3 or above are aged (i) 24 to 30, (ii) 31 to 40, (iii) 41 to 50, (iv) 51 to 60, (v) 61 to 65 and (vi) 66 and above.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows the number of adult (aged 24+) learners participating on further education courses, Level 3 and above, in England by gender and age band in 2010/11, the latest year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Adult (aged 24+) participation on Level 3 and above further education courses by gender and age band, 2010/11 
			 Gender Age Level 3 and above 
			 Female 24-30 68,770 
			  31-40 75,350 
			  41-50 67,940 
			  51-60 23,290 
			  61-65 2,190 
			  66+ 2,270 
			  Unknown 40 
			 24+ Female total  239,840 
			    
			 Male 24-30 46,020 
			  31-40 40,870 
			  41-50 33,180 
			  51-60 13,780 
			  61-65 2,030 
			  66+ 1,160 
			  Unknown 20 
			 24+ Male total  137,060 
			    
			 Gender total 24-30 114,800 
		
	
	
		
			  31-40 116,220 
			  41-50 101,120 
			  51-60 37,070 
			  61-65 4,220 
			  66+ 3,440 
			  Unknown 50 
			 24+ total  376,900 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest ten except the total which is rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Information in this table is based on all government-funded learners. 3. These data include Education and Training, Apprenticeships, Work Place Learning and Community Learning provision. 4. Age is based on age at the start of the academic year. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of learners participating in further education is published in a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 31 January 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Property Development

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage banks to work in partnership with small to medium-sized property developers and construction firms to develop new projects.

Mark Prisk: There are a number of Government schemes delivered through the banks which have been designed to facilitate and encourage banks to lend to small and medium-sized businesses of all sectors. These schemes will help businesses to access the finance that they need to develop new projects. The recently launched National Loan Guarantee Scheme is just one example of the Government's continuing intervention and support in this area. The Enterprise Finance Guarantee has also been extended to further incentivise bank lending to firms lacking sufficient track record or collateral to secure bank finance.
	Additionally, in his 2012 Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), made announcements which will benefit property developers and construction firms looking to develop new homes. The Government are investing £150 million more in the Get Britain Building fund (increasing its total value to £570 million). The fund will support the delivery of up to 16,000 new homes, by supporting construction firms in need of development finance. The Government have also said that they will consult on the potential role a social housing Real Estate Investment Trust could play to support investment in the social housing sector.

Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to reinstate the research and development scorecard.

David Willetts: The Department is currently considering a proposal to re-instate the Scoreboard as a series of raw data sets. A decision will be made shortly.

Technology Strategy Board: Expenditure

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Technology Strategy Board spent in each region in each of the last three years.

David Willetts: holding answer 7 February 2012
	Regional information is only available for the Technology Strategy Board’s spend on its collaborative R and D activity—other areas could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The collaborative R and D spend by region in each of the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Financial year 
			 Region 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 (1) 
			 East Midlands 21.51 21.57 20.30 
			 East of England 8.68 6.53 10.94 
			 London 18.82 34.71 41.14 
			 North East 3.66 4.96 9.31 
			 North West 7.56 11.06 12.86 
			 Northern Ireland 1.38 2.14 2.11 
			 Scotland 4.33 8.55 10.55 
			 South East 25.38 45.06 46.60 
			 South West 21.39 14.54 25.40 
			 Wales 2.65 3.49 3.27 
			 West Midlands 15.48 12.34 14.94 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 4.75 8.13 7.98 
			 Total 135.59 173.08 205.40 
			 (1) Up to 29 February 2012.

Training

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Prime Minister's contribution in debate of 21 March 2011 in response to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion, Official Report, column 707, what training licences have been reviewed and to which countries; and which of these licences have subsequently been revoked.

Mark Prisk: An export licence would only be required for the provision of military training where the provision of that training involved the transfer of controlled military technology. All relevant export licences were reviewed in the wake of the events in the Middle East and North Africa last year. Of the strategic export licences revoked since February 2011, the following Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) for Libya included an element of training of this type.
	
		
			 Application type Annual report summary 
			 OIEL Ground vehicle military communications equipment, equipment for the use of ground vehicle military communications equipment, software for the use of ground vehicle military communications equipment, military communications equipment, technology for the use of military communications equipment, command communications control and intelligence equipment, equipment for the use of command communications control and intelligence equipment, military electronic equipment, equipment for the use of military communications equipment, fire control equipment, equipment for the use of fire control equipment, artillery computers, equipment for the use of artillery computers, military infrared/thermal imaging equipment, laser rangefinders, equipment for the use of laser rangefinders, bombing computers, gun laying equipment, command communications control and intelligence software, command and control vehicles, software for the simulation of military operation scenarios, software for the use of military communications equipment, test equipment for military communications equipment, military navigation equipment, equipment for the use of military electronic equipment, components for military electronic equipment, technology for the use of artillery computers, technology for the use of bombing computers, technology for the use of fire control equipment, technology for the use of military electronic equipment, technology for the use of ground vehicle military communications equipment, software for the modelling of military operation scenarios, equipment employing cryptography, software for the use of equipment employing cryptography 
		
	
	Values of items licensed for export have been provided for extant Standard Individual Export Licences. No values are given for extant Open Individual Export Licences because there no generally no limit to the quantities that may be exported under these licences and it is not possible for exporters to provide this information when they make a licence application.